


Post Hollow Syndrome

by Cyrokin



Series: The Hollow Beyond [1]
Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Continuity (post season 1), Broody Adam, Conflict, Continuation, Group Bonding, Group Disagreement, High School, Multi, Possible Insanity, Post-Series, Psychological, Speculative, Weirdness, glitching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyrokin/pseuds/Cyrokin
Summary: The Hollow is over--- and as Adam, Mira and Kai try to go back to how their lives were before they got into the game, each teen finds out that it may be harder than they thought it was going to be. Not that any of them thought it was going to be easy.But handling homework, fresh outlooks, and newfound fame may prove to be the least of their problems, as Kai continues to see visual glitches and Adam begins having strange dreams about the game that leave him sleepless. Is it for real? Some unforseen side effect of the Hollow's level of virtual tech? Or is it something... else?And most importantly--- will it make or break the trio?COMPLETE!





	1. Champions

**Author's Note:**

> First Ao3 upload, but hardly my first fanfiction. Still, this is my first fanfiction story in two years so it's still notable in that respect.  
> So I found this series a couple of weeks ago and I've already watched it three times--- I'm obsessed with this short, simple, yet engaging cartoon and I could NOT resist doing a follow-up fanfic. I have not had so much fun with a series in a long time and for that, I am grateful. :)
> 
> I think it should be fair to note that I've kept Kai's technological abilities as a character trait rather than leaving it as one of the powers he had in the game. It made his character more intriguing to me as a writer to keep it in there.
> 
> Welp, without further adieu... enjoy the story!

Well, they'd done it. They'd won the Hollow. They didn't need to have all their memories back to feel the overwhelming glee that came with the crowd of cheering onlookers, and the thrill of getting out of there alive with so little time to spare. The trophy that the enigmatic host Gage gave them seemed more the icing on the cake than the actual prize their team had been aiming to win.

And while the studio lights and the cheering audience were exciting, it hardly seemed the place to appropriately celebrate their victory--- and at Mira's suggestion the three made their way out of the studio and down a block to a quiet little restaurant for a bite and some celebration.

"I still can't believe we did it," Adam sighed with a smile. "All the times we messed up and got distracted..."

"Well, we won," Mira beamed. "The odds were against us, but we pulled through. I think that's a _far_ more deserved victory than just being more powerful than the other team."

Kai just see-sawed his straw in and out of his cup lid.

Adam's eyebrow quirked upward. "Kai, could you stop doing that?"

Kai looked up, as if just reeled back in to reality. "Huh? Stop doing what?"

"That thing you were doing with your straw," Adam clarified with a gesture.

"Oh yeah, that." He chuckled nervously. Then he started scraping his fingernails over the tabletop instead.

"Kai, are you feeling OK?" asked Mira, noticing his restless behavior.

"Oh, yeah! Ha ha. Never better!"

Mira narrowed her eyes. "You sure? You've been acting super distracted since we left the studio."

"I'm fine," said Kai, this time in a more serious tone. "I'm just... thinking. And I know that's a weird thing to hear me say, but..."

Mira nodded, encouraging the boy to go on.

"I, um..." He pulled himself up a little higher and cleared his throat. "I saw Vanessa's eye glitch out."

Adam's eyebrows reached a new height as a brief silence captured the moment. "In-game, or..."

"On the stage," Kai said. "I looked at her, and she looked at me... and her eye glitched out like everything did in the game. And that got me thinking, maybe we're..."

"Still in the game?" Adam finished, some skepticism in his tone.

"Yeah!" Kai squeaked.

"I don't think so," said Mira. "Our memories are back. Things seem normal to me."

Kai's brows furrowed. "That doesn't mean anything!" he blustered.

Mira frowned. "And what else _could_ it mean, pray tell?"

Kai appeared frozen for a few seconds. "Um... a more complex virtual reality simulator?"

Adam set his hand on Kai's shoulder. "Kai." The younger teen flinched. "I think you're experiencing some post-game shakes. Remember you kept saying you were seeing things that one time after the trial run where they accidentally turned on the memory wipe in your chair? And when the game ended you said you kept seeing..." He tried to hold back a snicker.

Kai remembered. He remembered all too well. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"Never," Mira said with a giggle.

"Yeah, maybe it's like that. But I _know_ I saw her eye glitch out. It wasn't just some after-image caused by my memories suddenly coming back."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Mira.

Adam had been staring out the restaurant windows for a good ten seconds now, his face turning pale. "Um... guys? Please tell me I'm hallucenating..."

Both Kai and Mira looked out the window. A horde of news vans had pulled up outside the Hollow studio, complete with reporters and camera crews from various stations. "The reporters? I'm afraid not..." said Mira.

"Cameras? Awesome! I bet they wanna talk to _us!"_ Kai exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and rushing for the door.

"Kai, wait!" Adam called, on the boy's tail.

Mira picked up all three of the cups on the table and hurried after the guys, figuring she could trash them on the way out the doors. After all, leaving crap on the table was probably not the best way to make an impression on the nation.

By the time the three made it back down the street to the studio, Christopher "Weirdy" Gage was already outside with a couple of security guys. He spotted the teens coming and beckoned wildly to them, breaking away from the crowd of reporters that seemed to grow larger with each passing minute.

Gage forced the teens into a huddle. "If they ask you about the glitches, remember--- it's all a part of the show," he rush-whispered.

"It was?" Kai questioned.

"No, of course not--- but we can't tell them that. We'll be in deeper water with critics than ever before. Remember--- all part of the show."

Adam nodded. "Got it."

Gage smacked Adam on the back. "Great. Now go get 'em, all three of you. Be champions!"

\---

**_How do you feel being a member of the winning team on this still-controversial game show?_ **

_Adam_ : I feel accomplished. Like any team captain would, controversial game or no. And I know Kai and Mira feel the same way as I do. We're just happy to... you know, to have won after so many setbacks. I think any team would be.

_Mira_ : Well, we faced a lot of difficulties. Got separated, had our differences. But in the end our team really jived well together and we got out of it... together. And we won! I'm so proud of both Adam and Kai. We all contributed something and I feel like it shows.

_Kai_ : It. Was. Awesome!!! But also crazy, and weird. Hi Mom! Um... I had a great time. Aside from all the rocks and trees beating me up all the time... haha. They'd even appear out of nowhere. Seriously, who designed that?

**_What do you have to say to critics of the Hollow's intense gameplay?_ **

_Adam_ : I'd have to say that... yeah. It's absolutely intense. I mean, you wake up in a room with no doors or windows, and you don't remember anything, and there's these two other people you've never seen before there with you. And the only thought on your mind is getting back to where you came from. But the gameplay, aside from the amnesia part, really isn't all that different from any other fantasy video game. Except it really feels like you're there. It's just incredibly realistic virtual reality. It's not like any of us were actually in danger of dying.

_Mira_ : Critics, you guys can relax. The Hollow might be an intense experience, but it's well worth it. And it's completely harmless. Nothing in the game can actually hurt us in real life. It's all a simulation generated in the world of the game. Nothing bad's come of it--- in fact, I think a lot of good's come of it. Even if it didn't really happen, it's made all of us better friends. And I happen to think that's something worth commending, not criticizing.

_Kai_ : Psh! Crazy and weird is all part of the fun. You get to be someone special for a while. It's escapism in its truest form. Can you really blame a bunch of worn-out high school students for being drawn to it? I feel like a better guy already. Best summer break ever!

**_What do you think of the speculated possible "side effects" from playing the Hollow? Particularly any concerns regarding trauma, or more serious mental health problems. Do they hold any merit?_ **

_Adam_ : The only side effect I've experienced is disorientation after coming out of the game. Of course, that could be said for anyone who's been playing hologames for five hours straight. Which I do not recommend you do on a regular basis.

_Mira_ : I was dizzy at first, but after my memories came back to me I felt perfectly fine. No residual trauma or... anything, really. Believe me, I'm glad to be back. I'd play again if I ever got the chance in the future, so believe me, I'm not scarred for life!

_Kai_ : Uh... maybe? I dunno, I never really looked into any theories about it when I went into this. And I feel fine, although I...

Kai turned to see Adam glaring at him, a warning on his face. "...I'm really tired after that. Excited-tired. I'm sure I'll sleep it off tonight." He grinned. Adam visibly relaxed.

_All a part of the show, Kai,_ the redhead reminded himself with a sigh. _I don't want to get the game cancelled._

But he knew what he'd seen. It was more than just a blip in the corner of his eye this time. He'd looked into Vanessa's sinister eyes for several seconds and seen a wicked glitch there. It had to have been there, it just HAD to. He knew he didn't imagine it. And the thought that entered his mind--- that, at least, the Hollow wasn't finished with him yet--- lingered with him as he answered the questions.

Lingered with him as he smiled and joked around afterwards.

Lingered with him as the trio made their way to the van that would take them back to their normal, boring lives.

\---


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam, Mira and Kai come home.

Adam breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his older brother's van waiting for Mira, Kai, and him in the parking lot across from the studio. He was worried it would be his parents. Or even worse, just his mother. It wasn't that he didn't love his parents--- quite the opposite, actually. But the more time there was between the end of the broadcast and the _inevitable conversation_ he'd have with them, the better.

Adam opened the passenger door and hopped in beside the tall, lean-shouldered form of his brother. "Hey, Seth."

Seth smiled. "Hey, Adam. Congrats on the win!"

"Hey, Seth!" Kai echoed, trundling into the backseat.

"Hello," said Seth. He nodded as the final passenger closed the door beside her. "Mira."

"Evening," breathed Mira, strapping her seatbelt.

And they were off down the road, on their way back to their own town. Some small talk was exchanged among the four, and as the ride continued, the talk was reduced to a conversation between Mira and Kai. Adam half-listened, not interested enough to participate. Instead, his brain drifted back to the Hollow.

How much had his parents seen? There were things he'd done in the game that he knew he wouldn't have done had he remembered his parents were watching. Maybe they'd cut to the other team on those parts... oh man, he hoped so. Breaking down in front of Mira was one thing. Breaking down on live television was quite another.

He swallowed. _Had they seen the kiss?_ Did Mira worry what her parents would have thought about her... doing that? Adam glanced back toward Mira. What was she thinking about? Whatever joke Kai had just told, apparently, judging by her laughter. Adam smiled and turned his attention back to the passing fields out his window.

"I can't wait to see my folks again," Mira stated. "I know it's only been a day but it's felt so much longer."

"I know," said Kai. He shifted. "I miss my mom a lot already. She probably misses me too, knowing how she is..." He laughed. "Worries about me too much. 'Kai, did you do your homework? Kai, did you remember to pack a lunch? Kai, don't stay out too late!' I'm fine, Ma."

"My parents don't worry too much," said Mira. "They care, yeah. I'd go so far to say my dad is my biggest cheerleader." Kai snort-laughed. "I mean he _supports_ me, Kai," Mira told the cackling redhead.

Kai wiped away a tear and sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be happy to see Ma. I'm sure she'll be ready to check me for any real-life bruises from all the times I got hit in the face and knocked down in the game."

"I'm just glad things are gonna be normal again," sighed Mira.

Seth stole a quick glance back from his place at the driver's seat. "I wouldn't sound so sure about that," he said. He gestured toward Adam. "Our place got bombarded with phone calls asking to interview Adam before I even left the house to pick you guys up. Local station after local station wanted to talk about the Hollow. I don't know how they got our number, but if they found ours, it's a good bet they've already found you guys' too."

Adam's heart sank. _Brilliant. More media attention._ And just when he was getting used to the idea of getting back to normal. The groaning sigh from both his friends in the backseat told him they felt the same way about this revelation.

Adam attempted to tune out the following conversation and stay focused on the window again. Something about the empty fields scrolling by relaxed his restless mind. He didn't want to think about the stress he'd have to endure shortly. He just wanted to watch the pleasant fields, the fences, the sidewalks... say, were those horses?

And did the horses have... riders? Were those smoke clouds coming over the horizon? Were they riding... closer? Now that he thought about it, they looked like a _certain group_ of Horsemen...

Adam squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, he didn't see horsemen anymore. He pinched his temple. _I'm gonna need a good, long night's rest after this,_ he thought to himself.

\---

Kai's house came first--- a scruffy-looking white house with a red door.

"Well... bye, guys. See you whenever!" he said, crawling backwards out of the backseat and waving. He shut the door behind him and jogged up to the front door. And, as he'd earlier predicted, his mother was waiting for him--- right at the front door, in fact. She crushed him in a hug as Seth drove away. Adam smiled, amused.

Mira's house was next. It was a nice-looking two-story home. Mira sighed and unbuckled herself. "Bye, Adam," she said. Adam turned to see her smiling at him, already out of the vehicle--- though her head still poked around the open door. She waved. "I'll see you Monday, then?"

"Of course," said Adam. His lip quirked upward. "First day of our junior year? Can't miss it."

"I should hope not. Overachiever." She waved a final goodbye and hurried up to the front door of her house. Adam's smile faded off his face as Seth drove away. Next stop: Home. Even after striving to get here the entire time he was in the Hollow, he was rather apprehensive to finally be here.

Seth must have noticed Adam's nervous body language. "Don't worry too much, bro," he said. "It's not as if she's gonna lock you up in the basement until school starts."

Adam grimaced. "Between you knowing what I was thinking and you coming up with something like _that_ , I'm... not entirely convinced she won't."

The van slowed down as they approached the little brown house. Seth slowly pulled into the driveway and drew the vehicle to a stop behind the bumper of Papa's car. Adam exhaled the breath he'd been holding. Whatever Mama was going to say, he was about to find out.

Adam managed to swallow his worries by the time he got to the front door. He entered, eyes open for any sign of where his parents were. Papa was seated at the couch in the living room. He looked up at the brothers as they passed by. "Welcome back, boys," he said. The man looked pointedly at Adam. "Your mother's in the kitchen."

Adam gulped. So she was waiting for him.

The teen shuffled his way over to the kitchen, where his mother was indeed waiting for him. She looked up at him, dark eyes relieved--- not angry. She approached him and threw her arms around his waist. "Adam..."

He set his hands on her back. "Yeah, Mama?"

"Please... never make me worry for you like that again."

Despite his initial apprehension, Adam's heart softened for the woman in his arms, holding onto him like she never wanted to let him go again. "I'll try," he told her. A smile crept onto his face at last.

"You promise me you're fine?" said Mama, letting go of her son.

Adam looked her directly in the eye. "I promise, Mama," he spoke. His reassuring expression gave her more confidence than he felt like he truly had. "Everything is fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: Does a character I created for one story only and who probably won't appear all that much later on in the story count as an OC? Also, you would not BELIEVE the amount of time I spent coming up with the name "Seth". No other name I could think of seemed to work, but now Seth seems like the obvious choice.
> 
> It'll probably be a while before I update again. Leaving for summer vacation this week and I won't be back until next week. In the meantime I'll see about finishing the outline for this story. I've got 5 chapters planned so far, but I don't know when this story will actually end. Or how. I figure I'll think of something the more I write and plan! Feel free to give me idea fodder.
> 
> -Cy


	3. Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira is sick of it all and Adam is having troubles of his own.

"Mira! Hey Mira!"

Mira turned around. A short, dark-haired freshman approached her, huffing and puffing. He waved a notebook around above his head. Another cub reporter hoping for a scoop about the Hollow, Mira knew, turning back to her locker. "I've said everything and plus some on the local news this past week," she told the younger teen. "You're not going to get anything new out of me."

"Not even a comment about your unrequited, burning _passion_ for..."

" _No_ ," Mira emphasized.

"Oh, come on," whined the freshman. " _Everyone_ knows about it."

"I don't care if _Santa's elves_ know about it. It was a silly schoolgirl crush. Nothing more."

The kid steamed away, muttering under his breath. Mira shook her head. She knew she could humor him, but she was so tired of having countless interviewers ask her countless variants of the exact same questions that she had grown bored of the subject of the Hollow. Everything she could say about it had been said a thousand times over. She'd formed _scripts_ in her mind regarding every Hollow-related topic imaginable. Even the kiss, which she'd long since gotten over.

She closed her locker and began to head down the hallway to her next class. Even a week after the Hollow, and a week into the school year, she could still see people looking at her. She could hear them talking about her as she passed. And it made her uncomfortable. She knew why they were talking, and she didn't want to talk to any of them about it.

She spotted a head of russet hair in the crowd, and heard the squeaky voice attached to it blabbering on, a small group of other teens all ears around him. "So the tree vanished from under my feet and I found myself falling down into this huge canyon. I was scared at first, but then I remembered... oh yeah. Fire powers, duh!"

Well. At least it seemed like Kai hadn't gotten tired of bragging about his exploits.

Mira entered the classroom. Adam was already there, fishing his textbooks out of his bookbag. He didn't seem to notice Mira until she sat down in the desk next to his. Mira smiled and folded her hands. "Hey."

Adam smiled back. "Hey," he echoed. "Ready for the first quiz of the year?"

"As I'll ever be," sighed Mira. She'd spent her evening cramming for the quiz that she'd known about since the beginning of the week. Last night was the first time she'd had free from interviewers all week, and she'd snatched up the opportunity. "I don't _feel_ ready."

"You'll do your best, I'm sure," said Adam. "I'm sure Miss Glade will understand if you don't do as well. If you've been anywhere near as busy as I've been, which I'm sure you were." He yawned. "I studied 'till one last night so all that work'd better pay off."

A quizzical smile crossed Mira's lips. "Adam? Don't tell me a _straight-A student_ is nervous about a little quiz."

"That's... why I'm nervous," Adam confessed. He rested his face between his palms.

Mira touched his desk reassuringly. "Relax; you'll do fine! Besides, it's Friday. Once this day is out of the way, we can all sleep in."

"Provided no-one calls in for an interview at 6:00 AM," Adam muttered. "Not that I don't like talking about the Hollow or anything, but..."

"Oh, _I'm_ sick of it," Mira sighed.

Adam seemed surprised, that eyebrow of his shooting upward. "Whoah. Really?"

"Yeah. All these interviews. They've kind of... stolen my enthusiasm."

"Oh. Fair enough." He scratched the back of his head. "Personally, I can't get it off my mind. And it's not as if I can talk about it with my family. My mom was a hardcore skeptic of the Hollow when it was first announced and she nearly lost it when she found out I'd applied to play." He chuckled dryly. "She'd gotten better when it didn't affect me, but after the whole corruption thing... yeah."

"You'll have to let it go eventually," said Mira. "But until then I'm sure you can have all the conversations you want about it with Kai."

Both teens looked out the classroom door, where the sophomore was scrambling to get his stuff together for his own next class before the late bell rang. He had crammed an assortment of thick books and looseleaf papers into his arms, most which he didn't need for his class, and a power bar hung sideways from his mouth. He very nearly tripped on his own shoelaces as he ran off to class.

Adam laughed softly. "I dunno. Looks like even Kai's getting back into his normal routines."

The bell rang for class to begin. Mira turned around in her seat to face the front, but sent her friend an encouraging smile. "Like I said, it's Friday. You'll be able to sleep it off tonight."

Adam turned his attention to Miss Glade as she stood up to make her announcements. "I hope so," he murmured.

\---

Adam pulled his backpack further over his shoulders. He was on his way to a study hall he shared with both Mira and Kai. Oddly, he hadn't seen either of them since lunch. He figured they'd each show up eventually, but something inside him kept nagging at him. Telling him that they never would. That something had happened to his team and he needed to search for them.

Adam opened the door for his usual study hall--- room number 3. But instead of the door leading to the usual dull classroom, a broad, dark tunnel stretched out before him. He felt disoriented and pinched his temple. If his friends were in there, he needed to find them.

Wait... he recognized this tunnel! Dave the fake blind old man lived here. Was he... could Kai have been right after all? _Were_ they still in the game? Then maybe Mira and Kai were with Dave for some reason. They had to be there if they really were still in the game. Besides... maybe the old man knew something about this.

Adam stepped inside, taking care to leave the door cracked open. He didn't want to risk being stuck in here--- and besides, he needed a light source.

"Dave? Dave, are you here?" Adam received nothing in return, save his voice echoing down the corridor. He continued through, calling out to his friends and to Dave, to no avail.

 _What if those witches got them?_ he thought. Alarm rose up within him. Whatever the case was, he had to move fast. He picked up his pace and moved deeper into the dark tunnels, continuing to call the names of those for whom he searched.

After walking far beyond the parted door, the teen took a detour into a passageway darker than any of the others he'd passed through thus far. He took a cautious step deeper inside, then another and another, as if compelled to do so by some force. He walked further down the dingy passage. It was haunting how still and quiet it was, aside from his footsteps, his breath, and a gentle dripping.

Adam found he had a flashlight in his bookbag--- funny, he didn't remember putting it there--- and flicked the switch. He shone the beam all around, in search of the source of the steady _drip, drip, drip_ in the otherwise dry tunnel system.

Sure enough, he found the puddle--- a small pool of greenish liquid. Adam bent down onto one knee to get a closer look. He touched it and recoiled in disgust, scrambling to wipe the slimy substance off his finger onto his shirt. Whatever this was, it was NOT water.

A larger object that clattered onto the floor from above sent Adam flying backwards onto his bottom with a yelp. He shined the flashlight back onto the puddle. To his shock, it was a pair of glasses--- Dave's sunglasses.

Adam gulped, fearing the worst. He slowly turned the beam up toward the ceiling. Two shiny, bulging eyes peered down from above. Scaly green skin covered the face and green goo dripped from its jaws. The alien creature screeched at Adam.

The boy scrambled to his feet with a shout and took off running. He darted back out of that tunnel and sped down the first passageway he saw. The creature was in pursuit--- He could hear it behind him, its claws scraping the concrete floor. It was a terrible sound reminiscent of the way Adam's fifth grade teacher used to scrape her overgrown fingernails across the classroom wall when she got angry. Maybe this creature was related to her somehow. She was every bit as terrifying, that was for sure!

Adam sped around a corner and ducked into yet another tunnel. The alien was falling behind, perhaps slowed by its recent meal--- but that was no reason to slow down. Adam's athleticism had returned to him. He felt the strength running through his entire body, providing his legs with the power to thrust his strides forward like never before. He was grateful to have not tired yet, or he may have become the monster's next meal by now.

He breathed a sigh of intense relief after he rounded a corner and saw the big wooden doors waiting at the end. Finally, a way out! Adam skidded to a stop, yanked the door open, and threw himself outside. He was quick to slam the door in the creature's face before it could escape. He could hear it screeching and scratching the door. Adam bolted into the jungle, not wanting to know what would happen to him if it managed to claw its way out of there. He didn't even want to know how it had gotten into that area of the game to begin with--- unless the game had degraded to that point since he had been here last.

He had to find his friends fast, before they met a similar fate to Dave's. _Or something worse._

Adam slowed his pace to a walk once he'd made significant progress into the jungle. He had found the foliage had become bizarrely dense and overcrowded, as if extra plants had spawned everywhere and remained. As he stepped over a large tree trunk, a branch appeared and knocked him down to the ground--- only instead of landing there, he just kept falling. And falling. And falling.

Had he glitched through the floor? When would this end?

Right on cue with that thought, Adam landed with a grunt onto a hard, flat surface that had no discernible texture. The air had no smell and it was perfectly silent. When Adam sat up, he saw... nothing. The floor and the sky were bottomless pits of the blackest shade of black Adam had ever seen. Yet he was illuminated with a sterile light, as if the source of the light was his own body. His light, however, did not reflect against the surface of the ground.

As if he was the only thing that truly existed here.

"Hello?" he shouted. Nonesomuch as even an echo came back to him. Still, he could hear his voice--- so he had to be... somewhere. As strange as it felt to think this again, Adam had to wonder... _was_ he really dead now? Was this abyss some sort of hologame purgatory?

"Help!" cried a female voice from the distance. He couldn't pinpoint where it had come from, but Adam's heart leaped for joy when he heard it.

"Mira?" he called.

"Adam, help!" It was Kai this time.

Adam began to run. "Mira! Kai! Where are you guys?"

"Help us!"

Adam stopped, chest heaving in fear. "I can't help if I can't even find you guys!" _Wait... help!_

"Help please!" Adam called. He waited. He watched. The weird guy did not appear. The cries from his friends continued, their pitiful cries deepening his feeling of helplessness. "I'll try to find you!" he shouted. "Just give me a direction! A sign! _Anything!"_

"Help us, Adam!"

"HEEEEEEEEEELLLP!"

Adam growled and fell to his knees, clutching his head with both hands. "I'M TRYING!" he roared. "Help! Please!"

A figure glitched and eventually flickered to life before him. Adam looked up. "Thank goodness it's you..." he heaved.

The weird guy smiled. "Who were you expecting? The teacher from the Black Lagoon?" He cackled as if he _wasn't_ standing in an abyssal plane of nothingness.

"Mr. Gage... Weirdy... I need to find my friends and get out of here. Why are we still in the game?"

Weirdy clicked his tongue. "So many demands! But, that aside..." The weird guy's teeth glinted. "You really shouldn't be here, Adam. This part's _off-limits._ "

"I got here by accident. The game glitched and I fell through the floor. Please. I really need to know how to get us all out."

"There _is_ no way out."

Adam blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. You've fallen out of bounds. There _is_ no way back from here."

Adam heard Mira and Kai calling out to him from the Abyss. His heart began to beat faster as his frustration level rose even higher. "Well then give us one of your portals!" he begged.

"All three of you? No can do. You all have to be _together_ for that to work."

Adam growled. "Then... send me to where they are! Then we can find a way out together."

The guy shook his head. "Like it or not, kid, there's only one way out for you."

"What? What is it? Show me!"

Adam was desperate--- desperate for anything that could help. He'd hoped that calling the weird guy would be his deliverance. But the eccentric gamester's swaggering grin held something darker, reminding Adam of a line from Shakespeare's _Macbeth._ There were indeed daggers in this man's smile, and he was not about to give the teen a chance to take his request back.

The man lifted both hands as if he were raising something up from the ground. The floor began to tremble. Adam looked down. A crack now expanded between his feet, revealing an undulating green mass beneath the floor.

Adam stumbled backward, hearing the weird guy laugh like the maniac he was. He glared up at Weirdy, eyes hard as flint. "Is _that_ what you call _help?_ " he shouted. The man flickered and vanished without an answer.

As more cracks appeared in both the ground and the sky, Adam fell to his knees. He could do nothing. He'd failed his only friends. He'd failed _himself._ And worst of all... he was going to die alone.

There was nothing he could do now but wait for the corruption to swallow him whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Daves were harmed in the making of this chapter.
> 
> This chapter was a blast to write--- my favorite so far. I enjoy a bit of dark melodrama. I suppose I'm used to it after my webseries. I'm finding that I'm writing this story's chapter progression much like I wrote that series. Which is fine with me. I think I've discovered my writing style after all these years. Hurrah!
> 
> Chapter 4 coming very soon, as that chapter is also complete. Shorter than this chapter though, I think.
> 
> -EDIT 8/23/18: Fixed a capitalization error and changed one of Weirdy's lines to include a reference to one of my favorite books as a kid. It also sounded better.


	4. Glitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam recovers from the nightmare. Kai is certain something is going on. Mira is not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya I'd have Chapter 4 up really soon.
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's read the story so far and enjoyed it. I appreciate it! <3
> 
> Fun fact: The first scene of this chapter is the first scene I wrote for the story as a whole. I write out-of-order sometimes...

While all other lights in the neighborhood were out, one unkempt room in the basement of one house remained lit, illuminated by a single drawstring lightbulb. There was a bed in the corner of the room and what was possibly a collapsing dresser near the door. A desk sat beside the bed, covered with a host of tools and haphazard makeshift scientific equipment that looked sewn together by Dr. Frankenstein himself.

The rest of the room didn't look much better--- it looked less like a bedroom and more like a scrapyard, seemingly random pieces of mechanical junk strewn across the floor among dirty clothes and scraps of paper and foodstuffs that should have found their way to a garbage can weeks ago. Kai had meant to throw it away then, but he'd been so caught up in getting ready to play the Hollow that he'd forgotten all about it.

And this past week he'd been so occupied with all the media attention that even _thinking_ about returning to any of his projects had been out of the question until now, much less worrying about a little trash. He had just gotten the will to get back to "inventing" as he usually did. Back to normal, everyday Kai things.

He held up a finger to weld a couple of sheets of metal together. Disappointment stung him when he remembered he couldn't do that anymore. _Stupid, stupid Kai_ , he thought to himself, snatching up a welding tool and a pair of goggles in frustration. _We aren't in the game anymore. Idiot._

As he began welding the two sheets together, something flickered out the corner of his eye. Probably a cockroach. "Just hold still, I'll come step on you in a minute," Kai said to the roach. It couldn't understand him. Even if it could, it definitely wouldn't listen to him. Yet the pesky thing kept twitching in his peripheral, as if teasing the boy to take a blowtorch to it.

He shot a glare toward the bug. His heart nearly bolted out of his chest (and nearly sent Kai bolting out of his chair) when it seemed to glitch and flicker--- like Vanessa's eye two weeks ago. Kai blinked and the effect was gone. The insect wiggled its antennae and skittered back under a pile of comic books. "Whooooahhh, that was weird," he commented to himself. He glanced up at his alarm clock.

\---

**3:33 AM**

\---

Adam jerked awake to see the glowing blue number staring him in the face. A dream? It had all been a dream? OK. Now that he was awake it was unmistakably too bizarre to have been real, he admitted, even within the Hollow's strange world. But the dream, like the game, had felt so real. A dream about the game? Adam knew any player on the Hollow would have been tripped up by _that._

But especially he, a champion of the Hollow. He knew better than most people how well the game immersed the players into its world. Trial rounds with memories in tact were one thing. Experiencing everything all over again without knowing it was all a game was quite another. It was something one had to experience to fully know.

He rolled onto his back with a sigh. Nothing had ever haunted him like this before. Normally by now Adam would have already left the past in the past and would already be on his way toward the next goal--- that is, conquering the 11th grade. But this experience refused to let him go. And clearly, ruminating on it was starting to take its toll on his sleep!

His phone alerted him to a text. _At 3:30 in the morning?_ Adam thought. He dragged his phone off his nightstand and activated it. Just as he suspected, it was Kai, the only person Adam knew who thought nothing of staying up until friggin _sunrise_ on a weekend night.

**Kai**   
_hey adam i need to talk to you and mira, 2:00 for lunch @ paparoni's? importent!_

Adam caught himself with a smile. Good. He didn't think he could wait until Monday to tell Mira and Kai about the weird dream he'd had. He certainly didn't have the nerve to talk to his parents about it. He was even dubious about telling Seth, even though his brother was far from a hardcore Hollow skeptic like Mama and Papa. He just didn't want Seth to know to what extent the game was still on his mind.

For that matter, he didn't exactly want Kai or Mira to know how obsessed he still was either. It was embarrassing, even to himself. They were moving on with their lives, and it was about time he got back on with his.

Adam set his phone back onto his nightstand and rolled over to his other side, shutting his eyes. It was about time he got back to sleep, too. Maybe after tomorrow he could spare to move on.

\---

Two o' clock PM had arrived, and the three teens had gathered at a table at Paparoni's Pizza Parlor. The restaurant had been a gathering place for the team back when they were preparing for the Hollow. It was the perfect place to practice getting used to high-grade hologame technology, and the casual atmosphere was perfect to get to know one another better.

Now they had no real reason to spend too much time here, aside from hanging out for the sake of it, or just going out for the parlor's delicious pizza. Which would have been good enough reasons for Adam, but he had a hunch that Kai would not have chosen this place to meet without a proper reason. And knowing their history with the place, he could wager a guess that that proper reason had something to do with the Hollow.

He was correct.

"So I was in my room last night. Tinkering, putting cool stuff together. Y'know, regular stuff I do." Kai took a bite of one slice of pizza. "I'm building this sweet VR helmet to play my space captain games in. So I'm putting these two pieces together. And I see a roach out the corner of my eye. I look at it and it goes on the fritz!" He imitated buzzing noises and gestured wildly with his hands. "Glitching, just like Vanessa's eye! Then it stopped an ran off like nothing ever happened." He went back to his pizza without so much as a concluding remark.

Neither Adam nor Mira said a word, waiting for Kai to continue. After that brief pause, the redhead scoffed. "Come on, you guys. Something's gotta be going on here! Don't tell me neither of you have seen _anything_ weird lately..."

Adam reluctantly raised his hand a bit. "Actually, um... I had a weird dream last night... about the Hollow."

Mira sank down onto her folded arms and fixed her eyes on Adam.

 _Here goes nothing_ , he told himself.

"I dreamed you guys were missing and... when I went to look for you, I wound up in the game again. Except it was even more glitchy and corrupt than before. Eventually I stumbled into an undeveloped part of the game thanks to a glitch. I was walking around in this pure black... abyss, no end in sight. I heard both of you calling but I couldn't find you. I... finally called the weird guy. But when he showed up, he refused to help us and... caused the game to crash. Then I woke up. I remember the time was 3:33."

He glanced at Kai. "Kai texted me just a minute later."

Kai's eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. "Whoah... how weird is that?!" He turned back to Mira. "See? That _can't_ be a coincidence!" His voice had risen to a squeak.

"Yes, it _can_ ," Mira said. "Kai, you must've seen that bug glitch around 3:30, right?"

"3:33," Kai corrected her. "Same time Adam woke up from his dream!"

"And... Adam, I know you've been thinking about the Hollow all week. It'd only make sense that you'd _dream_ about it."

Adam lowered his head, now feeling a bit embarrassed. Of course that's what it was. It was only logical, he realized.

But Kai's brow had furrowed in indignation. "Well _I_ wasn't asleep," he insisted. "I was fully awake and I was getting back to my normal routines just fine!"

"Kai. You saw it in your _peripheral_ in the _wee hours_ of the morning," Mira emphasized, leaning closer to the redhead. "Your brain had to have been tired by then."

Kai had shrunken back a little. He eyed Mira as if she had just turned into a three-headed dragon that was ready to burn him to a crisp. "Well... yeah, but..." He turned Adam's shoulder with a yank and looked pleadingly into the older teen's eyes. "Adam believes me. You believe me, don't you, buddy?"

Adam swallowed and looked aside, unable to meet Kai's hopeful baby blues and deliver his answer at the same time. "Actually, Kai... she's right." Kai's grip tightened. Adam's words began to stick in his throat as he continued. "I probably _did_ dream about it because I was thinking too much about it."

Kai's hand fell from Adam's shoulder. His breathing had become quicker. Heavier. He was getting emotional. Adam felt like a traitor. "Look, I know what I saw!" Kai declared. " _Both_ times! I wasn't half asleep when _Vanessa_ glitched out!"

"But you had just come out of the game," Mira reminded him gently. She looked back and forth between the boys. "We're _home_ now. And I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything yet that convinces me that anything unusual is happening." She folded her arms.

Kai seemed to be on the brink of frustrated tears. His eyes shone and his face was scrunched into a scowl, as if he was trying to hold back an explosion. "Mira..." Adam cautioned.

But at the last moment, Kai appeared to get a grip on himself. The teary-eyed look went away, replaced with something harder. He swallowed whatever words he was about to say and stared firmly at Mira. "Forget I even mentioned it," he said. "I didn't come here to get brushed off." He stood, shoved his chair in and stalked away.

Mira panicked. She stood and reached out to Kai. "No. Kai, wait! I didn't...!"

Adam grabbed her by the wrist. "Let him go," he cautioned her.

Mira was clearly distressed and her brow was pinched with emotion. "But I wasn't trying to _insult_ him. I was just..."

"Trying to reason with him. I know," said Adam. "But you know how Kai is. He's stubborn, but let him think about it. He'll figure it out. He won't stay mad at you for long."

Mira thought about it, then sank back down into her seat. She looked over to Kai's abandoned lunch. "Yeah... yeah, you're probably right." The rest of the meal passed on in dreary silence between the two friends.

Kai never returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is a hologame? A hologame is the next evolution of the video game, bringing them from the third dimension into the fourth dimension. These games fully absorb the player into the game and they can feel quite real to them. Places where people can pay to play these games are called "holos". One day somebody thought, "Hey, let's make a hologame that will be so believable to the players that they actually WILL believe it's real, and oh, by the way--- let's erase their memories before playing it! It will be the ultimate hologame. THE Holo!"
> 
> Holo = Hollow
> 
> Your mind has been blown by this completely amazing explanation of the name of the game. This is my official headcanon.
> 
> -Cy


	5. Bully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai encounters an old terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Kai-centric chapter because I haven't featured him nearly enough yet. Weird, considering he's my favorite. He's in it a lot more after this, according to my outline.

Kai knew he had seen _something_. It didn't matter what Mira or Adam thought. Mira's explanation of Adam's dream? Fair enough. But a glitch was not a dream brought on by stewing over something too much. Vanessa's eye was the furthest thing from Kai's mind that night. What he'd seen had been real.

At least, that's what he'd thought. But soon enough, Mira's words had sent him into a tailspin of doubt. He had done little but run over the unsavory possibilities since he'd stormed out of the restaurant on Saturday. By Sunday he had begun to doubt how right he actually was, and today he had begun to doubt his own sanity.

What if they were right, and he WAS seeing things? What if he was turning into a total nutjob? Was he crazy? He used to be pretty sure he wasn't, but ever since that incident... he wasn't so sure anymore. Yeah, he felt normal. But he'd felt normal in the Hollow, too. No, he probably wasn't still in the game, but _something_ had to be going on.

Right?

Kai was a wreck and he knew it. He didn't want Adam or Mira to see how distressed he was because of them, so he had decided to walk to the school by himself this Monday. It really wasn't so bad. He got to sleep a little longer, and even managed to snag an actual breakfast before having to run out the door. But of course, Ma insisted she drive him to school if he wasn't meeting his friends. Kai capitulated. He didn't have a good argument against the idea anyway.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and squared his shoulders, hoping it made him look more confident than he actually felt. Well, he convinced himself, he had to have been _sort of_ confident. He was walking up to the school by himself today--- something he had, for some reason he couldn't quite grasp, been afraid to do before. That had to count for something.

Kai straightened his shoulders. Ha. Why was he so nervous about the walk to the school doors to begin with? Ha ha! What was there to be scared of...?

...Oh.

Kai deflated when he saw the tall, bulky teen approaching from a few short feet away. _That_ was the reason--- one "Spud" Spader.

"Hey, Moptop."

Kai became paralyzed at the sound of that terrible deep growl. He tried to hide the shaking in his voice as he addressed the terror he'd almost forgotten about. "Oh, hey, Spud! Looking as... much like a potato as ever, I see! I'd love to stay and catch up but I've got class, BYE!" He tried to dart past Spud, but the big guy caught the skinny teen by the arm. Pain shot through Kai's shoulder. "Yow! Hey!"

"I see your new friends are gone," Spud rumbled. He rotated around to Kai's front again, maintaining a tight grip on the boy's arm. "I saw you on TV. Looks like you're some kind of celebrity now."

"Yeah! I am! So, um... back off!" Kai demanded. He silently cursed the little crack in his voice that gave away his nerve.

Spud let out a wheezy laugh that sent an icy shiver down Kai's spine. "Don't strain yourself, Kai. You might hurt yourself."

"Yeah? I'd rather hurt _you!"_ Kai spat. He tried to yank his arm away from the bully.

Spud pulled back twice as hard in the opposite direction, yanking Kai aside and pressing him against the school sign, just out of view of any other students. Kai yelped again as his shoulder twisted even further out of place. Spud's spotted face was suddenly very, very close. His rotten breath, heavy and ragged, poured into Kai's nostrils. The redhead thought he might choke.

"And you're gonna do what. Blast me with fire?" He snorted. "Can't back up that bluster anymore, can ya?"

Kai knew this was a futile struggle. All the fire had gone out of him, it was true--- all except the burning pain in his shoulder. But it was _something_. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again. _No... no more crying_ , he scolded himself. Those days were over now. Kai clenched his fists. He may not have had his fire powers now, but having them had made him feel... different. He swore he had become a _man_. And in this moment...

"You know I'm right," Spud growled.

Kai recalled how it felt to hold fire in his palm. How he knew he could do...

"You've got _nothing_ , Kai."

 _Anything_. Kai struck out at Spud with his free fist. But Spud ducked away--- _shoot!_ \--- and Kai found his other arm clutched within the bully's cold grasp.

" _Nothing_ ," Spud continued, "means _nothing_." He shoved Kai down to the ground and took a menacing step forward. Kai braced himself for the inevitable kick to the ribs he would receive when Spud got close enough to strike. But it never came.

Kai uncovered his head and looked up at the towering teenager. He was frozen still. And he was... _pixelating?_ Kai gaped. He had completely glitched out, head to toe. Kai chortled in terror and excitement and sped away--- salvation had come not a moment too soon!

"Hey! How'd you get away so fast?"

Kai throttled up the steps and through the front door at full speed. Had he just seen _time alter_ in his favor? Spud sounded baffled! This... this wasn't just something he had seen now, it was something he'd EXPERIENCED! Without a doubt! This was nuts! This nearly proved his theory that there was something funny going on! They'd have to listen to him now!

As soon as Kai whipped around the corner, he ran into Adam--- literally. Both boys collapsed to the floor in a tangle of skinny limbs and bruised foreheads. Adam sat up first, rubbing his throbbing temple. Kai lay still on the floor and groaned, suddenly unable to think straight. All this pain... and every bit of it before nine in the morning. "Kai? Dude, you should watch where you're going," Adam scolded.

Adam! He had something to say to Adam, didn't he? Yeah, he did! Kai sat up with his eyes wide open. "Adam! I saw a-a-a... dude, it was... holy cow! Something freaky, something... ah-ah-ah!"

"Whoooooah. Slow down, bud," Adam interrupted. "Try to calm down. Steady..." He extended his hand in a cautioning but kind manner.

Kai took deep breaths and tried to calm his rapid heartbeat. He felt dizzy from his run, or from the thoughts spinning around in his head as they attempted to reassemble themselves into any sort of meaningful words. Or... maybe he had a concussion from hitting his head so hard. The result was the same either way.

"Breathe, Kai. _Breathe_."

Kai took a final deep breath and exhaled. His thoughts had fallen back into place at last. "OK... OK. I'm better now... I think."

"All right." Adam stood and held out his hand to lift Kai from the ground. Kai took it, taking care to use the arm that didn't hurt so badly, and allowed someone else to help him to his feet for once. Maybe he was too shaken up to care. "Now. Tell me what went down."

"Us!" Kai blurted.

"No. Say what you were trying to tell me. What did you see?"

Kai brushed down his shirt. "I saw... OK, I ran into Spud and as he was... _talking_ to me, he glitched out and froze. I know it wasn't my imagination because I got away while he was frozen. He would've caught me if he hadn't glitched out like that! He even freaked out when I got away from him!"

Adam didn't respond. "I'm serious! He locked up!" Kai insisted. "You don't have to believe me. I really don't care if you don't believe me but I have actual, physical proof and I know what I saw, for real this time, and I know I couldn't have gotten away from Spud unless---!"

"I believe you."

Kai blinked. "You do?" His mood improved instantly. "But I thought you were... at the restaurant you said..."

"I know what I said," said Adam. "It made sense then. But I've been thinking, and... if you didn't look so excited about this then I..." he sighed. "I mean, just because you're the only one who's seen something glitch doesn't mean you aren't seeing something. I, of all people, should have known that." He turned and headed for homeroom.

Kai shoved his hands into his pockets and happily joined Adam at his side, his narrow chest puffed out in renewed confidence. "See? I'm not so crazy after all!" His eyes shone with energy.

Adam smiled and gave Kai's shoulder a friendly smack. Kai winced as it cracked back into place. "I know the feeling," Adam remarked. 

Kai rubbed his aching shoulder. "So... think I should tell Mira?"

Adam shrugged. "That's up to you, dude."

"Think she'll believe me?"

Adam's eyes narrowed as he thought. "I have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wondering if this chapter is G-rated enough to still qualify under my current rating. Probably. I mean, a twisted shoulder isn't exactly a graphic injury.
> 
> FUN FACT:  
> I wanted to write Spud as a contrast to Kai. Kai is loud and hotheaded, Spud is quiet and cold. Kai is small, Spud is large. I hope I succeeded because I really like their exchange. :)
> 
> -Cy


	6. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai is ready to tell Mira about his experience the day before... but it doesn't go as well as he'd hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Sorry this took so long to get out. I'd been working on another project one week, AND I made it a point with myself to finally update my current webseries that I've been neglecting in favor of the Hollow. When you've got a webseries that works in live time, you can't do that for very long...
> 
> I'm also catching up to my outline again and I should probably take the time to figure out exactly how I want to wrap this thing up. I'm looking at 12 chapters right now but until I finish the outline I won't know for sure. Just be aware that I may not post for a while after this update.

_Blackness._

"He can't hear us, Kai."

_Yes he can._

"Well... It helps me feel better, all right?"

_Where am I?_ Adam opened his eyes. What was he lying in... sand? Felt like it. Soft and warm, like a bed, but with the blazing sun and a bright blue sky gazing down upon him from above. Two worried voices sounded not far from where he lay.

"Well... OK." her voice paused. "It... makes me feel better too."

Adam blinked the sun out of his eyes and slowly turned his head to where he heard the voices.  
Mira and Kai were here. They sounded worried. _About me?_ Kai sat closest. He was on his knees, turned away from Adam, his head low. He was fiddling with a pile of sticks he'd gathered.

"Think he'll wake up?" The redhead glanced to where Adam lay. _I'm awake now._ But Kai didn't seem to notice. He turned away and dipped his head once more.

Mira sat beside Kai, her knees folded. She played with her long, dark hair to occupy herself. Adam could see her face, made several years older by the sadness that was in it. She also looked down at Adam. The boy locked eyes with her--- yet she didn't notice him either. Her gaze darted aside. "I don't know." She took a shaky breath. "We can only hope."

Adam grunted and rose up from the ground, baffled by his friends' behavior. "I'm right here, guys," said Adam. No response. He squared his shoulders and marched right in front of them. Still nothing. He plunked down in the sand before them, eyebrows scrunched.

Mira looked up at him. _Yes! See? Can't miss me!_ But she teared up and buried her face in her hands, letting out a cry. "I just don't _know_ , Kai! Look at him, lying there all cold and... What if he never wakes up? What then?"

For once, Kai said nothing. He just set a sympathetic hand on Mira's shoulder. She fell sideways onto his breast, trying to fight a further breakdown. Adam saw Kai shed a tear and turn his head--- right over to where Adam had been lying one minute before.

"Guys..." Disturbed, Adam turned around and looked. Over his shoulder he could see someone lying there still. It was him--- and he looked like a corpse.

_I'm dreaming._

Adam's eyes opened for real this time. He lay spread-eagle on his bed, cushioned between the soft mattress and the hot comforter, sweat broken out all over his body. No wonder his dream had taken place on a desert island. He kicked the covers off and rolled to his side. 4:30. What a time to wake up. He just _couldn't_ have stayed asleep for an hour and a half more, _could_ he?

Adam muttered to himself and closed his eyes again. Sleep was a precious tool to Adam, and one that had to be maintained just right for it to work properly. If he slept too long, he would have a hard time getting out of bed. If he slept too little--- even ten minutes too little--- he would be tired all day. But as luck would have it, sleep refused to reclaim him, and after thirty minutes of failed dozing, the sluggish teenager slunk out of bed and dragged himself to the door. He may as well get up and get ready.

The smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen told Adam that someone was awake. It had to have been Seth. His brother had a 7:00 college class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and, as it was a bit of a drive to the campus from the house, Seth had to start getting ready before the sun even rose. Adam had already decided he wanted to live on campus when it was his turn, but waking up this early only solidified his decision.

Seth looked up from his light breakfast when his younger brother appeared in the doorway. He seemed pleasantly surprised. "Adam! You're up early."

Adam noticed that there was still coffee in the pot. It had never looked (or _smelled_ ) so appealing to him before now. He ambled across the room toward the pot. "I had a weird dream and I couldn't fall back asleep." He grabbed a clean mug and tipped the coffee into the glass.

Seth chuckled. "I thought you didn't drink coffee."

Adam turned around with his fresh cup of steaming coffee and plunked down in the seat across from his brother. "No better time to start." He took a sip. _Bitter._ He grimaced and set the cup down so he could cough the unpleasant taste from his throat.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Seth exclaimed. "Maybe you should add a little milk or sugar to that," he said, rising up to get the milk from the fridge.

"Yeah... that would be preferable," Adam said, embarrassed. He'd known how bitter coffee was yet he'd delved right in and drunken it before he'd ever thought to sweeten it. _I really am out of it._

The milk jug thumped down onto the table right next to Adam. Adam jumped, startled. Seth set a handful of sweeteners beside the teen. "Knock yourself out."

"Thought that's exactly what I was trying _not_ to do," Adam remarked with a tired smirk. He added a portion of milk to his coffee and picked out a sweetener.

The brothers sat quietly for a minute as Adam prepared his coffee. Then Seth broke the silence. "So. Want to tell me about it?"

"About what?" Adam tried his coffee again. Deeming it acceptable, he sipped some more.

"Your dream."

"Oh." Adam but his lip. He knew he could tell Seth about his nightmare. But it had been... disturbing. After all, how was he supposed to tell his brother that he'd seen his own _dead body_ in a dream? How was he supposed to tell his brother that he was still thinking about the Hollow to the point that he was having _vivid nightmares_ about it? _No_. Seth had enough to worry about.

He sloshed the coffee around in his mug. "Nah, not really."

Seth sighed. "You're getting more introverted all the time," he said. Adam returned his attention to drinking his coffee. "I just thought maybe you'd want to talk about it. You usually do where weirdness is involved."

"Well, I _don't_ ," Adam emphasized, perhaps a bit more tersely than he intended.

Seth hesitated. "All right." He sounded disappointed.

"Right."

There was an awkward silence between the two. At last, Seth finished his coffee and scooped up his breakfast dishes. "Well, it's about time for me to go to class," he said. He motioned toward the coffee pot. "Feel free to finish up the coffee. There's about a cup left in there."

Adam glanced into his mug. _One sip left_. He looked toward the pot of coffee. Well, he decided... it was as good a day as ever to fuel up on caffeine. He needed to keep himself awake somehow. No sense in being dead tired when he had classes to attend. Grades to uphold. A reputation to keep.

And a close friend who needed his support.

\---

Kai nervously checked the time on his phone. He didn't get it. Adam was usually right on time for all of his activities, arriving at school included. He was already three minutes later than he tended to arrive at their regular meeting spot.

Kai had gotten there first today. He wanted to take no chances of running into Spud before he had a buddy on either side. Adam was an imposing enough figure by himself to keep Spud away, but Mira provided even more protection from the towering villain, as Spud never seemed to bully anyone too harshly while there were girls there to see him do it. Maybe he hoped a girl would see him as some "bad boy" instead of the horrific person he really was and would actually give him the time of day.

Fat chance of that happening, with a face like Spud's.

Kai's anxieties fell from his shoulders the moment he saw Adam coming over the sidewalk. He was walking quickly--- maybe he was really, really excited about today? But the closer he got, the more Kai realized... Adam looked kind of _weird_. He hadn't taken nearly as much care to comb his hair, for one thing. For another, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were wide and his mouth was set straight. Kai couldn't decide if Adam wasn't quite all there or if he was so there he'd hear a pin drop from a mile away.

"Hey, Adam," the redhead greeted his friend.

Adam blinked at him with bloodshot eyes. "Good morning," he said. The taller teen tipped his styrofoam coffee cup to his lips and took a few final gulps of the stuff.

Kai blinked. "I didn't know you drank coffee."

"I do now."

Kai rocked on his heels. "So, ready for the day?"

Adam crushed the empty cup in his fist.

A nervous chortle escaped Kai's throat. "I'll take that as a... yes?"

"Believe me, Kai. I've been ready since five," said Adam. His eye twitched.

"Good! Cause I'm ready to tell Mira about yesterday." He folded his arms with confidence.

Adam raised an eyebrow and flexed his shoulders. "You're sure about that?"

"Yeah. Really sure. Never been more sure in my life! Like, if Mira were to walk up to me right now I'd tell her---"

"Tell me what, Kai?"

Kai yelped and whipped around. Mira was approaching, an amused smile gracing her lips. "Oh! Um... No-nothing! Nothing yet anyway," he stuttered. "Um... maybe at lunch?"

Mira laughed. "All right then."

"Come on, guys. We're gonna be late," Adam said bluntly. He threw his coffee cup into the nearby garbage can and walked away muttering.

Mira gave Kai a questioning look. Kai shrugged in response. Mira must have noticed Adam's... unusual behavior as well. There was no time to worry about it now, though--- it was almost time for the bell to ring. Maybe he'd loosen up as the day passed.

\---

By the time lunch came around, Adam didn't seem to be much better. In fact, Kai thought he'd gotten _worse_. He'd actually _not noticed_ when the history teacher had called on him today. Him! The guy who not only always responded when the teacher called on him, but always got the questions right! Not to mention how often he was muttering under his breath today. He did that anyway, but it was _way_ worse today.

Or maybe Kai had only noticed the muttering part because he was paying a little more attention to Adam than he usually did. It was hard to keep track of Adam's progression when Kai only shared one real class with him--- the aforementioned History for first period. He had no idea what sort of things Adam had done during the two periods prior to lunch.

And this was the state his friend was in for this exchange? Shaggy hair and bloodshot eyes? Tired out of his mind and strung out crazy on caffeine? Much help he was going to be.

_Well_ , Kai thought as he approached their usual table with his bag lunch, _I can't back out now_. He shared a knowing glance with Adam, then looked back up at Mira. He sat down. Time to face it like a man, regardless of what she thought.

"So, I'm sure you're dying to know what I..." Kai saw Adam twitch in his perhipheral. He shot his head toward his friend to make sure he wasn't glitching--- thankfully, he was not. "...And _Adam_ wanted to tell you." He heard Adam grunt. "I... hope you don't mind we're bringing up the Hollow to you again."

"It's OK, Kai," Mira said with a soft smile. "I'm in a good mood today and I haven't heard much about it from anyone the past few days anyhow. So, go ahead."

So Kai told her about yesterday. He told her about his confrontation with Spud, how the terrible teen had glitched and frozen at just the right moment, and how that had allowed Kai to get away before anything worse happened. He was sure to emphasize how time had seemed to skip ahead for Spud, judging by his reaction.

And, judging by _Mira's_ reaction after Kai relayed his tale, she was intrigued. She appeared thoughtful, chin clasped in her hand. At least she didn't look as if she was going to disregard his story this time.

"Well?" Adam asked. "The verdict, Mira?"

Mira sat back, eyes fixed on Kai. "Well... I don't think you're lying," she said. "The thing about time jumping is, admittedly, _convincing_... but..."

Kai's heart sank. "But... what?"

"I'm still not sure what any of this is supposed to imply. What are you guys trying to say is going on, exactly?"

She was trying to have an open mind. _Good!_ Kai thought with excitement. But when he opened his mouth to respond, Adam's earnest voice came out.

"We don't know! Just... _something_ ," said the frazzled teen. "Something serious. And we'd really like your help getting to the bottom of this."

Kai glared at Adam. _Stealing the show as usual_ , he thought cynically. This was _his_ story, wasn't it?

"I don't doubt there's something going on," Mira defended herself. "Kai's convinced. You're convinced. But I just..." She shook her head. "I can't accept that we're still in the game or whatever."

"It doesn't have to mean that," Adam said, leaning in closer to Mira. "It could be _mental_. It _could_ all be in our heads. But you know as well as _both_ Kai and I that we were _all_ trying to move on. I didn't _want_ to dwell on it, but I _did_. Kai was doing just fine until he saw that _bug_ glitch out." He took quicker breaths now as his tone grew harsher and harsher. "What if it's something _worse_ than just... being crazy? And what if we're all affected somehow by that _corruption_ thing?"

Kai gulped. He didn't like where this was going.

" _I'm_ not," Mira told her forceful classmate. "At least, I don't _think_ I am. I haven't experienced anything out-of-the-ordinary like you guys are talking about."

Adam's entire body was tense. His brown eyes were narrowed and his dark brow had lowered to a dangerous level. "Maybe _you_ haven't," he spoke. "But we have. Now, do you want to help us figure out what's happening or not?"

Mira scoffed in some mix of confusion and defensiveness. "I'd like to, believe me, but... well, how am I supposed to help you guys if I haven't even---?"

" _Fine_ then!" Adam snapped, pounding his fist onto the table. Both Mira and Kai turned to him with stunned expressions. Adam's sudden outburst also caught the attention of a host of nearby students. "Kai and I'll look into it ourselves. _Without_ your help." He stood, scooped up his lunch tray, and stormed away to another table.

Kai looked at Mira, who seemed shocked to the core. The redhead frowned apologetically at her and gripped the top of his bag lunch. This... this wasn't what he'd wanted to happen at all. "Sorry about him, Mira. He's um..."

"Are you _coming_ , Kai?" Adam shouted from across the cafeteria. Still more students turned to look at him. Spud was one of them.

Kai stiffened. "He's just tired. Try not to take him too seriously, OK?" He stood up and awkwardly danced away from the table. "I'd better join him. Sorry again." With that, Kai skirted past the girl and hurried to join Adam before Spud figured out there was an empty seat beside him.

And Mira was left alone, stunned, and unsure of what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason I think it would be totally in-character for a tired, frazzled Adam to drink three consecutive cups of coffee to stay awake. It makes a funny gag at least... in my opinion. It amuses me. Cut me some slack!
> 
> Sorry again for taking so long to update, but I hope the longer chapter makes up for it. :)
> 
> -Cy


	7. Newspaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is embarrassed, Kai is a nervous wreck, and Mira wonders whether she and they are still friends or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Showtime. *cracks knuckles*  
> I can't even crack my knuckles in real life, bro.
> 
> This update was quicker than expected. For one, my outline is complete and as you can see, there is a shiny #12 where a question mark used to be. For another, this chapter was shorter than I thought it was going to be. And finally...
> 
> I AM INVIGORATED TO FINISH THIS STORY! You know why? I've been developing another Hollow fic that I think is WAY more fun than this story. But I can't give any details on that until it comes out.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter~ :D

Mira had walked to school without Adam or Kai today, as it seemed that neither of the two had waited for her today. Surely it was just because she was a little late in coming, and not because Adam was still angry. Could he be? She'd at least have thought Kai would have waited for her, as he hadn't seemed angry with her at all yesterday. But Adam... well, he had been a bit strange _all day_ yesterday. He'd been both gruffer and touchier than usual.

She hadn't thought he'd meant what he'd said and she still didn't. It was like Kai had told her--- Adam had been tired. Another sleepless night studying, no doubt. She was sure the gentle, confident Adam she knew would be back today.

As Mira passed by the school office, she happened to catch a glimpse of a photo of three very familiar faces. _What are we doing on the school paper?_ she wondered. She approached and leaned in for a better look. Her heart dropped when she read the headline:

**A HOLLOW VICTORY?**   
_Have our own Team Adam, Mira and Kai broken up for good? MASSIVE fight at lunch yesterday brings famed trio to its possible END!!!_

Mira scoffed in disgust. _Great. Our scuffle's been sensationalized._ She snatched up a copy of the paper and set off down the hall.

 _Somebody_ was going to hear about this.

\---

Adam was moping. After a good night's rest undisturbed by creepy dreams, he had looked back on his actions yesterday. And when he'd done so, he couldn't have been more embarrassed by himself. Regret tugged at his heartstrings and his stomach was in twists. And to further his embarrassment, the whole incident had been published in the school paper.

He was sure everyone was going to have their eye on him now--- and for all the wrong reasons. Gone was his reputation for being an upstanding student. Now he was a part of the drama, just like everybody else.

He scarcely noticed Kai slip into the seat next to him, breathing heavily as if he had just run a mile. "Dude! I can't believe you didn't wait for me," he huffed, at last pulling Adam's attention.

"Sorry," Adam said. He looked down to his folded hands in his lap. "I didn't want to hang around any longer than I had to."

Kai shifted awkwardly. Adam knew he had something he wanted to say. "You look better than you did yesterday."

"I had a decent night's sleep," said Adam. He pinched his temple. "I don't know what I wasn't thinking yesterday."

"Good!" Kai declared. "That you... got a good night's sleep." He cleared his throat. "So, now that you're feeling better... can we hang out with Mira again?"

Adam sighed. "You can hang out with her if you want. She won't want anything to do with me after _this._ " He handed Kai the school paper, his head bowed. As Kai read the headline, a concerned frown faded onto his face. "I won't make you stay with me today."

Kai looked up from the paper and searched the room for Mira. He felt as bad as Adam did about leaving her yesterday and all he wanted to do right now was make it up to her. As it stood right now, Kai would happily leave Adam to angst alone about his problems and reassure Mira that everything would be back to normal once he sorted out what to do with his own _despicable emotions._

He didn't see Mira, but he did see Spud. A shudder wracked Kai's small frame when the monster caught his gaze. Spud's eyes burned with a yearning fury--- a passion that told Kai that the next time he was caught alone, he'd be toast. Specifically, toast with strawberry jam, because there was no way he was going to get out of that encounter without shedding blood.

Kai gulped in fear and scooted a little further back in his seat. "You know what? She doesn't seem to be here yet," he said, a faint tremor in his voice. "I think I'll just stay here for now."

As frustrating as Adam's brooding was, the thought of what would happen to him the next time he and Spud met face-to-face was far more terrifying. A brooding Adam was safer than no Adam.

\---

Though the homeroom bell was about to ring, some students still straggled in the halls, yacking with one another or slacking for the sake of it. One such group, to Mira's relief, was the press club. Headed entirely by a group of five freshmen, the paper had been nothing but drama this year. Ordinarily? Mira wouldn't care. But this time, they'd gone past regular drama. This time, they'd taken things far out of context. _This time_ , she and her friends were involved.

And she was having none of it.

Mira burst into the crowd of students and thrust the paper into the center of their circle. She pointed at the headline. "What is _this?_ "

A boy in a plaid beret folded his arms. "Today's paper," he responded bluntly.

Mira grunted in frustration. "The _headline_. Why does your paper _always_ blow things _massively_ out of proportion?"

"We write what we see, Mira," said a redheaded girl with a long ponytail--- Alyssa, the club's head editor. "We _saw_ a massive break-up, so we _wrote_ about a massive break-up."

"That's nonsense," Mira declared. "Adam and Kai are still my friends. They were just... having a bad day yesterday. That's all."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why aren't they here protesting the headline _with_ you?"

\---

All day Alyssa's words stayed with Mira. They floated around in her head in stereo. They would invade every time she would look at Adam and Kai sitting some distance from her. Occasionally Kai would look back at her, brush scarlet bangs from his sad blue eyes, then turn back around nervously as if ashamed.

And later, even when she was seated near Adam, her friend barely even looked at her, save a glance of acknowledgement.

Mira could feel the anxiety rising within her now, as she approached her two friends at the lunch table. They were at their usual spot instead of the one for which they had abandoned her yesterday. That was a good sign, wasn't it? Still, the anxiety chewed at her insides all the stronger the closer she drew.

"Hey guys. Mind if I join you today?" she asked. She rubbed her fingers nervously against her lunch tray. _This was it._

Kai looked up at her. A smile split his face wide open. "Of course not, Mira. You're always welcome to sit with us." He glared back at Adam. "Right, _Adam?_ "

Adam grunted.

Kai narrowed his eyes at Adam but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned back to Mira, smiled, and patted the seat next to him. "See? Totally welcome."

Mira eyed Adam as she slid into her seat. The dark-haired boy sat slumped and stiff, his gaze still averted. He certainly didn't _look_ very welcoming. Well, at least Kai was friendly enough, she reassured herself. That calmed her fears somewhat, but Adam's cold behavior kept a hold on her. Kai was talking about... _something_ , but all Mira could think about was how _Adam_ was behaving.

"So, I was riding home from school yesterday. Ma was telling me about how she'd been looking at RV listings last night..." _Ignoring her._ "I told her we don't need to get a camper, Ma. What's wrong with using the car? It's just the two of us anyway..." _Brooding._ "One time we were on vacation and she got a craving for McDonald's..." _Always avoiding her gaze at all costs._ "She wanted a chicken wrap. I asked her why she wasn't getting a hamburger, it's a burger restaurant after all. So I got one instead and..." _Never uttering a word..._

"...And that's why I'm never eating another McDonald's hamburger ever again."

Come to think of it, Kai was acting overly _talkative_ himself, almost to a _nervous_ degree. Yeah, Kai talked a lot more than he needed to on a regular basis. But he hadn't stopped running his mouth since she'd sat down. Mira had only half paid attention to anything he had just said.

Was he uncomfortable with her too? Mira bit her lip.

"That's... that's _great_ , Kai," she said. "But... I think I'm going to go sit somewhere else now. If you don't mind." She licked her upper lip.

"What... why?" Kai burst. His eyes were wide.

"You don't have to say anything, guys." She forced a smile and stood up. Even Adam looked up at her with some degree of concern on his face. She felt her heart twist in her chest, half hoping he'd beg her to stay too. But he didn't. He only looked back down to his lunch and poked at it with his fork. "I'm good. I... I understand."

With that, she strode away. They didn't need to see the tears that wanted to force their way out of her eyes.

Kai watched her go, confused. _Understand? Understand what?_ he wanted to ask. Understand that Adam was being a total jerk? He had so many terrible things he wanted to say to Adam right now--- all poised on the tip of his tongue--- but they were all cut short within a moment. As Mira walked away, Kai saw her flicker. He gasped.

"Adam!" he hissed. His broody friend looked up. Kai pointed at Mira. "Mira just glitched out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That escalated quickly.
> 
> -Cy


	8. Focus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Kai bump into an old acquaintance who lends them further fodder for their investigation.

Kai shoved the school door open and stormed outside. "But don't you _see_ , Adam?" he said. "Mira hasn't seen anything glitch because she IS a glitch!"

Adam caught the swinging door and pushed it open gently as he followed his friend. "That's ridiculous, Kai."

The boys had not spoken to one another since the Mira incident, as they had no classes together after lunch. Consequently, Kai had had several hours to ruminate on what he had seen--- and had come up with an idea about it. Adam had missed the glitch again--- he had felt too awkward even looking at Mira, unsure of how he was supposed to apologize for something he'd done without even thinking. To _admit_ to her that _he_ , of all people, hadn't been thinking. That incident at lunch had only made him feel worse. Like salt in the wound.

And Kai continuing to talk about his... _interesting_ theory about what followed was like adding an extra papercut on the inflamed area around it.

"Think about it!" Kai continued. "Why she _hates_ talking about the Hollow. Why she keeps denying anything's actually happening. _Maybe_ she's not really Mira and _our_ Mira is still stuck in the game somehow!"

"Kai, that's even more implausible than the theory that _we're_ still in the game." Adam paused at the top of the stairs.

Kai balled his fists, his eyes afire. "Oh, sure. You come up with nutty theories, it's _logical_. I come up with nutty theories, I'm crazy!"

"I never said you were crazy!"

"You implied it!" Kai shouted.

"No, I didn't." Adam happened to turn at the right moment and see a number of students watching the debate unfold. _They were watching more drama surface among Adam's team..._

"Yeah, you did!" Kai argued back. "You just _can't_ admit when you're---"

"Kai, wait a second---"

"Hey, don't interrupt---!"

"They're _watching us_ ," Adam hissed.

Kai looked over Adam's shoulder. "Yeah? Well you didn't care that they were watching us when you..." Something to his left caught Kai's attention in the nick of time. "Hey... isn't that Skeet over there?"

Adam followed Kai's eyeline, where a blonde guy in a beanie, a black-and-red tee and tan pants was heading toward the street with a skateboard tucked under one arm. He _moved_ like Skeet. He was _built_ like Skeet. And when the guy turned his head to peek over his shoulder for a moment, Adam confirmed that it was indeed their former opponent.

"That's him all right," Adam agreed. "I didn't think he went here."

"I didn't even think he _lived_ around here," added Kai.

An idea struck Adam. "Hey... maybe he knows something about what's going on. If he's having problems too..."

Kai gasped. "Then he can confirm we aren't nuts!" he finished.

Adam huffed. "Something like that. Come on!"

The pair dashed down the steps and across the stretch down toward the sidewalk. Skeet was almost there himself, ambling along at a casual pace. They'd have no trouble catching up to him this time.

"Skeet! Dude, wait a sec!" Kai called.

Skeet turned around. He didn't seem surprised to see either of them. "Figured I'd run into you guys eventually," he remarked.

Adam was immediately drawn to the front of Skeet's t-shirt. A big red "33" was plastered on the right side. _Three_. That was a number he'd been seeing a lot lately. "Where'd you get that shirt?"

Skeet shrugged. "I dunno. Some thrift store." He tossed the skateboard to the ground and began to move it back and forth with his foot like a horse pawing at the ground, ready to take off down the road. "Surely you're not just here to bug me about my shirt."

"Ha ha... no, of course not!" blurted Kai. "We've got some questions."

Skeet continued to rock his skateboard. "OK. But make it quick; I wanna get out of here."

"We were just wondering," Kai began, "Have you, um... seen or... experienced any sort of thing after the Hollow? Anything weird? Unusual?" He toyed with the collar of his blue plaid shirt.

Skeet let out a dry laugh. "You mean _besides_ moving to this school after my old man decided Reeve and Vanessa were bad influences?" He paused in thought. "Actually, yeah."

Adam was intrigued. "Go on."

Skeet pinched the bridge of his nose. "It hasn't been as bad the past few days but... Ever since coming out of that game I've been losing focus. My vision blurs and fades out for a few seconds at a time. Hard to skate like that." His blue eyes sparked with sudden curiosity. "What, have _you_ guys noticed something weird too?"

\---

Mira could see both Kai's red hair and Adam's lean figure down by the road. They seemed to be having a conversation with someone who looked an awful lot like Skeet.They'd probably be too occupied with that chat to notice her slip past and go the opposite way without them. They didn't want to walk home with her anyway. If they had, they certainly didn't seem interested in finding her after school.

Kai might have wanted to, but he seemed glued to Adam's side whenever the latter was around. As long as Adam was there, Kai avoided Mira.

She'd been trying to make sense of it. The way Kai was acting, he seemed nervous or intimidated. Was _Adam_ doing this? He could certainly cut an intimidating form, but she'd always found Adam to be a kind person at heart, though often overly serious and socially awkward. It seemed out-of-character for him to force Kai to stay with him.

But if that was the case, maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did. And that was what really stung. She'd fancied herself a good judge of character. She'd judged Adam to be a good guy, and if he wasn't? She'd only have herself to blame.

She was 95% sure he was genuine--- but now she had that pesky 5% of doubt.

Mira had known Adam since 8th grade. He had been difficult to talk to at first, but from the moment she'd casually mentioned she played one of his favorite games onward, he'd opened up like a book in a windstorm. And throughout the three years they'd been friends, he'd been the best she'd ever had. Kai had only joined them last year and, while he and Adam still did not quite get along, the two had bonded like brothers. Mira found she had become fond of the redheaded dork herself, and through the Hollow the three of them had become nearly inseparable. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that their friendship may be coming to an untimely end.

She didn't want that to happen--- but what could she _do_ at this point?

Mira's internal monologue was interrupted by the sound of two voices. She slipped back onto the grass, just out of sight of Adam and Kai, who were walking down that stretch of sidewalk. She pulled her phone up to her face and pretended to be engaged in something important.

"He had a big 33 on his shirt," Adam was telling Kai.

"So?" Kai questioned.

" _So_ , aren't you noticing how often we see _some_ representation of the number three?"

"Not as often as you, apparently." Kai scoffed. "Adam, it's a shirt with a 33 on it. It's not like it's some _global conspiracy_ out to get you."

"I never said it was. I was just saying... maybe it has something to do with our problems."

"It's a number! What could it _possibly_ have to do with _anything?_ "

Adam replied outside of Mira's earshot. The boys had crossed the street already and it did not appear as if either of them had noticed her. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. What did she think they were going to do, attack her? What had gotten her so abnormally fearful?

"OK, Mira... there's nothing to worry about," she reassured herself. But a tear that welled up in her eye told her otherwise. She wiped the tear away in frustration as she headed back down the sidewalk.

What had she done wrong?

\---

Six-o-clock was rapidly approaching. The evening found Kai cooped up in his bedroom again, working on another helmet like the one he had finished last week. He was almost done with this one as well, and the progress was coming along much faster now that he had committed the design to memory. His English homework sat incomplete on his bed, even though that's what he'd told his mother he'd gone to work on downstairs.

Who needed to structure sentences when he could structure actual _things_ instead?

At this rate, he may even make a third so he could invite his friends over to play. If they ever got along again, that is. A pang of sadness tugged at his heart.

He'd seen Mira standing by herself, just off the sidewalk after school. She'd had her nose buried in her phone so he hadn't even bothered to wave. Not to mention Adam was going on about some nonsense about the number 3. Kai knew she probably felt betrayed. Adam was avoiding her at every turn for no other reason than the fact that his pride had been hurt.

Kai wasn't happy with Adam himself, but at least Adam still spoke to him. And Kai didn't have a problem with speaking to Mira. He would have preferred her company over Adam's sullen moodiness, but Adam was the only one who would listen to his theories, even if he did ultimately brush them off. Not to mention the protection his taller, fitter friend provided from a certain giant potato with a grudge.

It seemed as if he was now the---

"Kairos!"

Kai cringed at the sound of his full name.

"It's time for dinner!"

"In a minute Ma, I'm finishing up this one question!"

"Don't take too long. Food's already on the table and you don't want it to be cold by the time you get up here!"

Kai muttered to himself. He was too in-the-zone to be hungry right now, but to keep Ma from worrying about his well-being, he supposed he must go up for dinner... _After_ he finished screwing in this piece! Now, where was he...?

Oh yeah. Mediator.

In the past, Mira had always played the mediator between himself and Adam. But now, with so much contention between Adam and Mira, it seemed that Kai must now be the middle-man. He was willing to take on the duty with as much dignity and manliness as he could muster. Which probably wouldn't be much, but he would try.

Kai smiled and set the helmet down on his desk, then stood and made his way to his bedroom door. If all went well, everything would be back to normal by tomorrow, if he had anything to say about it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kairos" means "Right or Opportune Moment".  
> \---  
> Suddenly, a wild Skeet appeared!
> 
> I wasn't going to include the other team in PHS but I like Skeet well enough that he got a cameo as a plot device/foreshadower.
> 
> Also, I've been having great fun with the unreliable narrator thing. It's always fun to only look at things from a certain character's perspective at a time and weigh how each character views a situation.
> 
> -Cy


	9. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai attempts to play mediator. Adam continues to angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Couldn't figure out how to word the beginning, then had trouble with the ending. For such a climactic chapter this one did not want to come together well AT ALL. I had a fight with writer's block and I spent some time on my webseries as well.
> 
> So if it seems short and to-the-point, almost as if I was following my outline as closely as possible at points without much in the way of expanding the narrative... that's why. I wanted to get it written and up as soon as possible so I can finish this before the end of the month. SEPTEMBER FINISH, ARE YA WITH ME?

Kai kicked aside a pebble as he walked the path up to the school doors. He had spent a lot of time awake last night, working on the beginnings of another helmet and thinking about the heavy task ahead of him: repairing the broken bonds between Adam and Mira.

It was going to be hard, but hopefully not too hard. All he had to do was talk sense to them, right? If there was one thing Kai was good at outside of tinkering, it was talking. He just wasn't sure what words he was supposed to use. Just because he was good at talking didn't mean he was good with words. As a matter of fact, words were his greatest weakness.

But he was a man now. Men were supposed to face their weaknesses and get past them, right? He swallowed nervously. He _hoped_ he could.

Kai looked around for any sign of Adam or Mira. He didn't see Adam, but he did see Mira on her way up the stairs to the front door. He picked up the pace, hoping to catch her once she was inside. Seconds later, however, Kai noticed Spud in the distance, also on his way to the entrance. He broke into a run--- he couldn't let Spud catch him alone!

He rocketed up the stairs and caught up to Mira at the very top. Panting, Kai jogged ahead of her and threw open the door. He leaned back against it to hold it open for his friend. "Hey, Mira!" he greeted her chipperly.

Mira smiled and nodded in return as she walked through the door. "Hey, Kai. Thanks."

Kai grinned, relieved. Mira seemed genuinely happy to see him, and that was _miles_ better than yesterday.

"Have you... seen Adam yet today?" She sounded unsure if she should ask the question.

Kai felt a twinge of annoyance pinch his heart. The smile fell from his face. "No, not yet," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence between the two as they made their way down the hall. Kai licked his lip. How was he supposed to do this "mediator" thing? He knew he was ill-suited for this role, but a man had to do what a man had to do. _Think, Kai, think!_ "Hey, Mira. Um... wanna sit with us again?"

"No thanks, Kai," Mira declined. She looked aside, as if nervous of Kai's reaction. "You and Adam are fine without me."

"Are not!" Kai squeaked. "Adam's been feeling really bad about what he said. He's just... he's um... he's..." His words faltered when he realized he couldn't think of anything that could justify Adam's behavior in such a way that it would make him seem approachable. Or like he was in the right, for that matter. "That is to say he'll um... he'll come around eventually. Just let him know you'll be open to it when he decides he's ready. OK?"

Mira shook her head. "Look. If Adam isn't ready to talk to me yet, fine. I'll let him be." Kai's brow furrowed in thought. This was even harder than he thought it was going to be. He was about to respond, but Mira added onto her last statement after a brief pause. "Besides, I..." She sighed. "I don't think I'm ready either."

Kai swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "Oh." He scratched the back of his head. "You don't mind if _we_ talk, do you?"

Mira smiled back into Kai's honest gaze. "No, Kai, of course not."

Kai stood up a little taller, grateful that she at least still enjoyed _his_ company. She had boosted his hopes by some margin, though there was still a long way to go. Next step: Getting them to sit beside each other again.

The two entered homeroom. Kai noticed that Adam was already seated. He'd gone on ahead--- that couldn't be a good sign. He was probably in one of his moods again, Kai bemoaned. Still, there were two seats open to Adam's side--- perfect! Kai smiled and waved. Mira didn't seem quite as happy to see Adam. Neither did Adam, for that matter. He turned his head aside.

But Kai was determined, and he had an opportunity. "Hey look, Mira! Two empty seats right there. We can have a chat there, won't have to talk over someone else." He faux smiled and plunked down in the seat furthest from Adam. Mira gave him a weak smile and hesitantly slipped into the seat between Kai and Adam. Now, Kai thought, they could get a conversation going.

Instead, both Mira and Adam sat extremely silent, never looking at one another. And whenever Kai would try to talk to Mira, she'd give brief answers that did not make for a pleasant conversation. He finally gave up and resigned himself to waiting for class to start. Kai was disappointed, but there were still hours left in the day. He'd get them to talk eventually.

\---

The three teens kept their distance from one another on their way down to the lunch room, though Kai made sure he had one or the other near him at all times. Kai had hoped he could deal with the situation before now, but he had to admit that lunch time was yet another great opportunity to get his friends to talk to one another again. He made his way to their usual spot and looked around for either of the two.

Mira glanced back at Kai and sat down at the same table she'd sat at yesterday. Kai sat down with a disappointed frown. So much for _that_ plan.

Adam slunk in beside him with a sigh. "Hey," he greeted. "Sorry for being so quiet today."

Kai felt the annoyance rise up again. He furrowed his brow. "It's not me you should apologize to." He pointed at Mira's turned back. "Look. Mira's just _waiting_ for you to talk to her."

Adam sighed. "Well, why's she sitting over there, then?" He sank down onto his palms. "Accept it, Kai. I blew it with her."

A flame burst to life deep inside of Kai. How could Adam think like that? "No, I _won't_ accept it!" he exclaimed. "I talked to her on the way in. She'd be open to being friends again if you'd just _say_ so. Seriously, dude. Why don't you just _apologize_ already?"

"I just don't want to deal with it now, Kai," Adam admitted.

Kai scoffed. "Why, cause you're still _soooo_ ashamed?"

"Yeah... maybe. Look, I don't know how to say it to her. It's not that I don't _want_ to, it's just... I'm not... _good_ with this sort of thing."

"Just be honest!" said Kai. He couldn't believe how stubborn his friend was being! Adam was silent. "You're supposed to be her friend. _Our_ friend. Stop making excuses about why you can't and just _do it_ already!"

"I'm just---"

"Just nothing!" Kai snapped. "You're just... Stop pushing this off, man! I've had it with you pushing her away, and and and... pretending she isn't there, just 'cause you're too scared and proud to say you're sorry!"

"Kai, listen to me! That isn't---"

"No, _you_ listen! Stop talking!" He smacked the table emphatically. Several people turned to look at him. He didn't care. The fire had risen inside of him and he wasn't going to stop blazing now. "You know what? As long as you wait around and say nothing, you can be by yourself," he threatened. Something in the back of his mind told him that probably wasn't the best idea right now, but he didn't care about _that_ either. "I'm done!"

Adam looked as if he was about to object--- to send some half-formed argument back in vain--- but one look at the tenacious fire in Kai's eyes shut him down. Adam knew Kai had told the truth. His job here was done. Without another word, he stood up and took his lunch to another table.

As he sat down at a table on his own, he caught sight of Spud watching him with interest. But to Kai's surprise, he found he couldn't care less. He knew he could join Mira, but he wanted to see if Adam would act on his conviction.

For a while, it seemed as if he just might. Adam would glance back and forth between his lunch and Mira, with an occasional concerned glance toward Kai. The gears were turning in his head for sure. But he never moved from that spot until the lunch bell rang. Then he was out the door and off to his next class before Mira had even risen from her seat.

Kai grunted in disgust as he crumpled up his paper bag and tossed it into the garbage can. For someone so smart, Adam sure was dumb when it came to people. On his way out of the lunch room, he caught sight of Spud's watchful eye on him again. No doubt the terror would make a move soon, once he got a chance.

Kai knew he should be terrified. He was alone again, and he had a terrifying bully breathing down his neck, ready to pounce at any moment. Yet for whatever reason, the fear he'd felt nonstop ever since his first encounter with Spud that year was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was just too angry with Adam to care that he was still in imminent danger.

He was on his own now. He could figure out this glitch problem better without having to deal with Adam drowning in a pool of his own angst. Only problem now was, to his greater frustration, the three were now even further apart than they were before.

So much for being a mediator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the drama escalates. Don't worry, there's still some plot to go. I feel really bad about doing this to these guys, honest! Just giving Adam more reasons to angst, I guess.
> 
> Chapter 11 is written, Chapter 10 is not. So when 10 comes out, expect 11 pretty soon afterwards. Let's say three days, in spirit of the story's constant allusions to the number 3.
> 
> -Cy


	10. Resolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Adam finally face their fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter fuel: "Fire" by Farewell to Fear.
> 
> Long chapter today. Enjoy, folks. And thanks for over 200 hits! It took forever to get there, ha ha! :)

Chilling, passionate eyes bore into the back of Kai's neck all through his next class. Yet Kai's anger continued to burn and melt away the ice that was Spud's furious gaze. The redhead was still too focused on Adam's behavior to care. He could only hope he'd taught the guy a lesson--- and that maybe, MAYBE, Adam would do something about his guilt soon.

If not, he figured he'd be better off alone for now. Maybe this was the way he was meant to be. He'd never had friends growing up. In junior high he'd had people he would hang out with, but he was only a chew toy to them. Adam and Mira were the first friends he'd ever had who seemed to genuinely enjoy his company, but now... now he'd blown it. While trying to do the exact opposite, no less.

So he was a bad friend and a bad mediator. How could he be such a failure on all these fronts?

As much as he enjoyed math and its applications to mechanics, he was having a hard time paying attention to the lesson through all the thoughts that were running about in his head, trampling over any thoughts about mathematics. He couldn't focus. He couldn't take notes. All he could think about was his failure and the cold stare of his enemy.

...And apparently, the call of his bladder.

Kai waved his hand in the air. "Mr. Aguilliard? I need to go to the bathroom!"

The teacher gave the go-ahead and Kai was off. On his way through the halls toward the restrooms, Kai swore he heard a pair of footsteps echoing behind him down the empty halls. He peeked over his shoulder but saw nothing. He continued onward, finally feeling a little bit of worry. He choked it down.

While washing his hands in the restroom, the feeling returned--- this time edged with dread. He peeked over his shoulder. Nothing. Nobody else was in there with him. Kai muttered to himself about how stupid he was and that there was no-one here and that he needed to stop imagining things. He didn't notice the faucet handle flicker after he turned off the water. He continued to mutter to himself as he dried his hands and made his way out the door. A massive 6-foot wall stood in his way--- what? How'd that get there?

Kai balked. That wall was Spud--- and Kai'd nearly walked right into him. He looked up at the face of his bully, whose eyes seemed to steam with cold ice. His lip was set in a subtle sneer as he peered down at the smaller boy from above. "So. We meet again."

Kai felt the flame ignite once more. "Out of my way, Spud," he spoke.

Spud set a massive hand on Kai's slight shoulder. A creepy smile pulled his lip upwards. "No. I can't just leave you to go off on your own." He squeezed Kai's shoulder and leaned in closer. Kai felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise. "Here you are again, Kai. Friendless. Alone. Just like you were the day we first met. You thought you could get away from me with those two clowns?"

"Seems to have worked, yeah," said Kai. His fists were clenched in defiance.

Spud softly pressed the redhead against the wall, his grip becoming even tighter. "Well, I got news for you. They're gone. You only have me now. You _need_ me."

Kai pulled his fists to his chest. He could feel the fire warming and growing within, filling him with a courage he'd never known he'd had before. "No. I don't need you, Spud," he spat. The bully's brow deepened. Kai raised his head and stared straight into the eyes of the one who had terrified him for so long. "I don't need _anyone._ Especially not someone like _you._ "

Spud growled and grabbed Kai's other shoulder and began forcing him back toward the bathroom. Kai planted his shoes firmly into the ground and pushed back against Spud's chest. The harder he pushed, the stronger he felt, though Spud was still moving him with his sheer size. Kai's shoulders were beginning to throb, but he pressed on. As far as he was concerned, it was fight or die. Finally, when Spud reached the bathroom door, Kai locked his foot into place on the door frame before the monster could force him back inside.

"Well aren't you the feisty one?" Spud rumbled beside Kai's ear. He began to force the smaller boy sideways, into the bathroom door.

Kai felt a momentary panic. _No... not this again!_ But just as quickly as the panic had come, the raging wildfire that had become of his emotions overtook it. "Get... _back_... Spud," he huffed. He raised his voice. "You aren't gonna do that to me again!" He lifted his free foot and, utilizing Spud's own force against him, pinned himself against the wall and kicked with all his might.

Spud let out a pained wheeze and reflexively released Kai to tend to his stricken groin. The redhead let out an adrenaline-soaked laugh just as the bell for the _real_ fight rang. He struck out at Spud's face, which the bigger teen backed away from at first. But Kai's second swing hit Spud dead in the eye. He continued to back away from Kai's other punches.

"What? You scared?" Kai prodded the bully.

A pair of firm hands gripped his shoulders from behind. " _Stop_."

The fire extinguished as Kai was brought back down to the earth. He saw Spud, still hunched over and groaning. Then he saw students pouring out of the classrooms, several with their mouths agape at the sight they had beheld. A few even whooped joyously. The class-out bell had rung and a host of witnesses had just seen him _wipe the floor_ with the school's most notorious villain!

And, if the person who owned the hands which gripped his aching shoulders had anything to say about it, Kai would not be going to his next class any time soon. But as he saw it, after what he'd done, detention--- or anything else they sentenced him to--- was a small price to pay.

So on the way to the office, he couldn't help but smile.

\---

Adam hadn't been sure what to think of Kai's outburst at the time. He'd known he'd been walking on eggs with the volatile redhead for a few days now, but he hadn't expected Kai to crack as soon as he did. But then, Kai was emotional and unpredictable, and Adam wasn't sure if he liked or hated that about him.

OK, so he _definitely_ disliked it. But somewhere deep inside, despite his reservations, Adam knew he probably needed that outburst. He was by himself again and he'd pushed both Mira and Kai away, his guilt now his sole companion. And it was that realization that had painfully shaken some sense back into his head.

At first he'd blamed his social awkwardness. He'd told himself he didn't know how to apologize correctly--- that he was afraid of getting it all wrong. And though there may have been some truth to that statement, it wasn't the whole story. Kai was right. Maybe he'd held his reputation to others in such high regard that he'd neglected how his apathetic guise must have appeared to Mira. All he needed to do was tell her why he'd acted the way he had. He needed to lay it all out and let her know he wanted her friendship still. Yet something held him back.

In the hall near his locker, Adam could hear a couple of students talking.

"Did you hear what Kai did?"

"Kai? He's the short guy with the red hair, right?"

"Yeah, him. Guy from _the Hollow_."

Adam gulped in renewed embarrassment. He opened his locker and ducked his head behind the open door to hide his face from the two students. They were talking about Kai's outburst earlier, he was sure of it. Just what he needed--- more rumors about his integrity.

"So, freshman science class was getting out and they saw him in a fight with Spud. Had the big guy cowering."

"Really?" Laughter.

OK, so they weren't discussing the incident at lunch. Good. Wait... Kai fought Spud and _won? What?_

"I found it hard to believe myself at first," said the first student. "But I saw both of them leaving with their moms last period and Spud had a black eye. And I thought he was a beast in _the Hollow!_ Turns out he's got it in real life too."

"Kai got sent home for hitting Spud? Come on. Everybody knows that guy's a bully."

"Yeah. Both of them are suspended for tomorrow and next week, I heard. At least we won't have to see Spud next week..."

_Suspended?_ Well, that explained why he hadn't seen Kai since lunch. A smile crept onto his lips with the initial feeling of excitement--- but it faded away as the excitement turned into discouragement and self-blame. This encounter was his fault, and it could have turned out much worse.

He'd pretty much known that Kai was terrified of being away from his friends. He just hadn't known why. Now it seemed so obvious. _He had been hiding from Spud._ If anything, his younger friend had lashed out in self-defense. Had he gotten hurt? _Probably._

Adam knocked his locker door shut, clamped the lock and headed down the hall. He kept his eyes low to the ground. This fight was his fault and he'd have to deal with that now, on top of his troubles with Mira. Knowing that only made his guilt even worse. Was there any way to make it up to either Kai or Mira at this point? How could he have let himself become so isolated from them, so in the dark about their feelings that it had come to this? Was there any way out of this situation at all?

_Just be honest!_

Kai's words remained. He held them and rolled them over in his mind. The solution sounded so simple put that way. All he needed to do was talk to them and tell them he was sorry. That he recognized he'd wronged them and wanted to make it right. What was the worst that could possibly happen? More embarrassment? Not much of a change, was it?

The root of the issue was with him and he knew he had to start somewhere. And that somewhere was standing by herself in front of her locker, looking sadder than she had all week. She had been faking stoicism just as he had been. He took a long breath and straightened his jacket. _This was it._ He would have to make this right, here and now, before he talked himself out of it again.

Adam shuffled up to Mira. She pretended not to notice him until he stopped right beside her. "Hey."

Mira lifted her head. She brushed a bang aside as she turned to face him, her sullen expression taking on some semblance of hope.

Adam nervously rubbed his arm. "Mira, I'm... I'm... _sorry_. For how I've been treating you this week. I've just been too embarrassed about... yelling at you." He paused to search her eyes for any sign of forgiveness. They'd softened considerably. Adam gave her a small smile. "I really messed up, huh?"

"Yeah," said Mira. She tried to keep her serious expression, but a grin burst onto her face within seconds. She hugged him around the neck, laughing joyously.

Surprised, it took Adam a moment to figure out what to do. But his heart lifted when he recognized that with that one gesture, all had been made right. He awkwardly accepted the hug, his smile broadening. "So... we're good now?"

Mira released him from her embrace and smiled up at him. "You're forgiven."

Half the weight immediately dropped from Adam's shoulders. "Wanna walk home together?"

Her genuine smile lit him up on the inside. "Of course."

\---

"So I guess you heard about Kai."

Mira nodded knowingly. "Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't run away. You know how nasty Spud is." She grimaced. "He's not afraid to hurt people if he wants something. Don't know what he wanted from Kai but it must have been something serious."

Adam shrugged, remembering Monday's incident. "Revenge, maybe?"

Mira gasped and stopped in her tracks. Her hands shot up to her mouth. "Oh! Oh, I'll bet that's why he's been acting so jumpy!"

"You've noticed too, huh?" Adam's heart sank. _So he did only stick with me because of Spud._

"How could I have not _seen_ this?" Mira lamented, her eyes wide. "The signs were everywhere!"

"I think we've both been blind this week," said Adam. He sighed remorsefully. "This whole thing is my fault. I yelled at you, and then... avoiding you got Kai upset. If I'd known it was going to lead to _this_ I would have convinced myself to apologize to begin with."

"You've apologized now," said Mira. She sent him a gentle smile. "Just drop it, OK?"

"Look. You and Kai both got hurt because of me." Adam lowered his head. "I can't just drop that and move on."

"You can and you should," Mira determined. She set a firm hand on his shoulder. "We can text Kai later and let him know we made up. Then he'll have nothing to be angry about."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Guess so."

He still wasn't sure he could move on quite yet, but this was a start. And despite his lingering worry, he found himself with a smile on his face the rest of the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than expected again. But as Chapter 11 is finished I can assure a speedy update later this week. No September finish (obviously) but I'm excited about Chapter 12!
> 
> I was going to name this chapter "Fight" because of Kai's situation, but I like my chapter names in this fic to relate to the chapter as a whole. I chose "Resolves" because of the dual meaning of the word. I spent a while thinking of a word that could apply to both situations and I'm satisfied with the final choice.
> 
> -Cy


	11. Corruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai finally thinks he knows what's happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorty! Real short chapter. Extended it as long as I could, though it still isn't very long. Final chapter is next and will probably be longer. :>
> 
> -Cy

Ever since she had picked him up early from school that day, Kai's mother had not stopped expressing her displeasure with her son's actions. Funny thing was, even though Kai had never gotten into such a victorious fight, he had heard it all before. He'd heard it as a little child when he'd gotten into a fist-fight with the neighborhood bully. That time, he had lost.

"Kai-Kai, honey, you shouldn't get into fights like that. Mama don't like seeing you get hurt." He could remember her wiping away the tears from his freckled cheeks, taking him inside, then fixing the scrapes and bruises. He was glad for her care then. He was just a little boy--- the smallest of his peers, in fact. Always picked on, always pushed around.

As a result he had developed a bit of an inferiority complex. He had spent his life sucking up to his peers, particularly the bullies. Always playing along, acting the class clown, always taking the blame. Behind their backs he would curse them and wish he had the ability to face them head-on. Yet he knew he couldn't hope to fight any of them outside of name-calling. He was too small, too weak.

And after his _former_ encounter with Spud--- the one he still wouldn't tell his mother the truth about--- he had learned _all too well_ how small and weak he really was. He had been powerless. But not today. Today, he had been strong. Today, he had won. Yet he got the same speech he had heard as a child--- only repackaged.

"Kairos, you shouldn't fight fire with fire. I don't want to see you get burned."

Why couldn't Ma be proud of him? He had finally manned up. He had faced his worst nightmare and had not only come out alive, but _won_. And it was because of that fire that he'd done so. Why couldn't she stop _worrying_ so much and just accept that he _liked_ to fight with fire? That it was what he'd been born to do?

"You've told me he's been after you this week," Ma said at dinner that evening. "You should've run from him. Then you wouldn't have those awful bruises on your shoulders. You wouldn't be _suspended_ right now." The distress in her tone was unbearable.

Kai clutched his fork. "He would've caught me eventually. Trust me," he said. "And when he _did_ catch me, what was I supposed to do? Ignore him?"

"Kai, you should have told someone he was bothering you in the first place. Then someone could have..."

"Then he'd just come back _angrier_ at me," emphasized Kai. "And that doesn't even answer my question." He slumped and twirled a piece of chicken from his pot pie in thought. "I'm just saying, Ma. I'd be in worse shape if I'd just let him do what he wanted to."

Kai could tell Ma realized he was right. "I'll put a word in for you at the office," she said. "I won't have him after you like this for the rest of the year."

Kai chuckled softly, though a twinge of apprehension pinched his insides. "Don't worry. I've faced bigger monsters than Spud Spader." _With friends_. "And... Adam and Mira are good friends. They've helped me deal with monsters before. They can help me deal with Spud too." If they could all get along again. Kai's heart sank. What was he supposed to do now that he'd effectively isolated himself from his only friends?

"I'm glad you have such good friends," said Ma. She was silent for a moment. "Kai. You know I only worry because I love you, right?"

Kai smiled. "Yeah." That was another thing she'd been telling him since he was a little kid. "I know."

He stabbed his fork into his supper again. Halfway up to his mouth, the fork fritzed out. Kai froze and stared at it as it flickered within his grip. For a single moment, it glitched out of existence. The food fell through the fork and landed with a _splat_ back onto his plate. His grip on the fork tightened as it reappeared and reassumed its stainless steel form. "Uh... Ma?" He gulped. " _Please_ tell me you just saw that."

"Saw what, honey?"

_Don't tell her_. Kai let out a shaky breath. "N-nothing. Never mind."

Seconds later, just as Kai was reaching down to pick up the food he'd lost, he saw his hand flicker. Then he saw his _other_ hand flicker. They were both on the fritz--- and when the fork fell through his hand, he felt the blood drain from his face. Kai restrained a shriek. His hands flickered back to normal. He continued to stare at them, questioning whether or not he had just seen what he _thought_ he'd just seen.

"Kai? Is there something wrong?" asked Ma. She sounded concerned.

"Uh... I just realized I forgot to wash my hands. Be right back!"

Kai made a mad dash for the restroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned up against the door to catch his breath, then looked down at his palms again. A single stream of a glitch wormed over his left palm. He swallowed and stumbled toward the sink, at once nauseated. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to glitch out of existence? Was this going to be the end? He closed his eyes and braced himself.

Kai took deep breaths and tried to convince himself that he would be OK. A minute later he felt good enough to open his eyes. He looked up into the mirror to make sure he was all still there. At that moment, one of his eyes glitched out. Just like Vanessa's.

As if he had been... _infected_ by her.

Something finally clicked in Kai's mind. Everything made sense now. Kai's glitches, Adam's dreams, Mira's lack of interest. He knew now he wasn't just seeing things--- something had gone terribly wrong in the wake of the Hollow corruption. Something had gone terribly wrong with _him_. With Adam. With Mira. With Skeet, Reeve, and yes--- Vanessa. It wasn't imaginary. It was very, very real.

But now he knew there was something he could do about it.

Faced with this sudden revelation, Kai dug his phone from his pocket and sat down to write a group message to Adam and Mira. He could only hope they'd listen.

\---

**Kai**   
_hey, if both of u guys could come see me saturday morning, i think iknow whats going on! just need time 2 get ready, cuz i may know how 2 fix it. plz come._

_ps adam--- sory 4 yelling at u. :(_

**Mira**   
_Will do, Kai. Adam and I made up, just so you know. I didn't want it to bother you until then. =)_

**Adam**   
_Apology accepted._


	12. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 333 333 333

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took too long.  
> Here now though.  
> Thank you all!

Adam stood with his arms folded. He tapped his foot as he and Mira waited for Kai to answer the door. They'd knocked twice already--- quietly, as Kai had asked them--- but their friend had not yet answered. Mira checked her watch. "I hope he's up," she remarked.

Adam shrugged. "Well, he did say 8:00," he said. "By his standards, we're here a bit early."

Mira knocked louder. "Hellooooo, you awake in there, Kai?"

At once, the door shifted with a _clunk_ and opened. A wide-awake and fully clothed Kai stood at the door, an annoyed bend in his brow. "Shhh! Not so loud. Ma's asleep!" He glanced over his shoulder for any sign of his mother having heard the commotion. Satisfied she was still asleep, Kai invited them inside with a wave of his hand. "All clear!"

Adam and Mira shared an amused look as they stepped indoors. Kai closed the door softly behind his friends. "Sorry I had to ask you guys over at this hour," he apologized, "but since I've been suspended I don't think Ma would've let me have you over... while she's awake, anyway." A self-impressed smirk appeared on his face.

He led them down past the kitchen, down to a short hall where three doors intersected. He set a finger on his lips to warn Adam and Mira to be silent, as the door at the end of the hall was his mother's room--- or so that's what Adam deduced by Kai's gesture toward it. He opened the door on the left side of the hallway. The door revealed a steep wooden staircase which led down into the basement. He turned back to his friends, the smirk back on his face. "Prepare to be amazed," he teased. With that, the trio made their way downstairs.

Adam had been expecting a typical basement, but his eyebrows leaped into the air upon turning the corner and seeing what awaited them. The entire basement was filled with gaming stuff and fascinating mechanical contraptions. It was truly a sight to see.

"Well, I'm definitely impressed," said Mira. "You _built_ all this stuff?" She examined a device that looked like a miniature crane.

Kai shoved his hands into his pockets. "Most of it. Not the furniture or the TV or the games, of course, but..."

"That's amazing! You never told us you were such a prolific inventor!"

Kai shrugged. "Uh, cause you never _asked_." He turned and trotted toward the end of the basement, which rounded a corner to a white door. "C'mon! I'll tell you what's up once we're in my room."

Adam and Mira followed Kai to the door. The redhead opened the door with a quiet squeak. It wouldn't open all the way due to a pile of stuff Adam could see despite the room's darkness. "Don't come in yet. You might trip and fall or something. Trust me, I know." He slipped past the parted doorway and vanished into the dark. Five seconds later, the light popped on. Kai stood in the center of the room, surrounded by piles of scattered, half-finished machinery and dirty clothes. He beamed. "OK. _Now_ you can come in."

"Wow, Kai." Mira sounded far less impressed this time. "Your room looks like a... steampunk pigsty."

Kai harumphed in mock offense. "Mad _geniuses_ don't have _time_ to clean!" He sat down on his bed.

"All right, Kai," said Adam as he stepped inside. Mira closed the door behind them. "You said you thought you knew what was going on?"

"Yeah. Catch!"

Adam's reflexes sprang into action as a metallic helmet-shaped monstrosity careened through the air toward his face. He caught it just before it could smash in his nose. The front of the helmet contained a standard VR visor, while a padded helmet with a plated metal exterior formed the rest of the custom headpiece.

"And Mira!" Kai tossed her a nearly identical helmet. He grinned at her as he picked up his own and set it on his lap. "You get the newest one."

"Great!" she said with a confused half-smile. "What are they for?"

"I was getting to that," said Kai. "I've got this basic diagnostic program I'm going to run for all of us." He yanked a manual from under his blankets and flipped through it. "You enter different passwords for different problems and stuff. The program's supposed to find a solution for the problem. Really useful for when a game is bugging out for no reason." He hesitated. "I was thinking I could... run the diagnostic on _us_." He nervously awaited a response.

And here Adam thought Kai had an actual solution. "Kai, we're not a computer program," said Adam. "What good will _that_ do?"

Kai seemed to lose hope at the comment, but Mira swung in to his rescue. "Well, what _harm_ could it do?" she asked. "We could give it a try." She plunked down onto the bed beside Kai. He smiled with appreciation.

"Why the sudden change of mind, Mira?" he asked her. "I thought you didn't believe us."

Mira shrugged. "I never thought you were _lying_ ," she said. She turned to look at Adam as he approached the bed. "And if it gives you guys some peace of mind, I'm all for it." She turned back toward Kai. "I want things to be normal again as much as you guys."

Adam sank down beside Kai, turning over the helmet in his hands. He nodded softly at his reflection. "We can only hope."

\---

Fifteen minutes later, Kai had everything set up--- his computer to his gear and game chairs, the cursor hovering over the diagnostic program, a mere few clicks away from activation. Now all that was left to do was pass the manual around to find everyone's unique issue. Sadly, though understandably, there was no "weird dreams" or "out-of-character" options for Adam or Mira to select, so the options seemed to boil down to Kai's issue--- unexplained glitching.

"738, 144, 492," he read aloud. Kai flopped down onto his gaming chair, the primary unit. "That's the password we're going with, unless---" He thumbed rapidly through the manual over and over--- "Anyone has any objec...tions..." Something near the back of the booklet caught his eye. He flipped around to find the something in question.

"None that I can think of," said Adam.

Kai found what he's seen. He squinted at the passage he'd never noticed before--- yet stood out so clearly now that he'd seen it, despite the small print.

**IF HARM HAS COME TO YOU THROUGH AN INTERFACE, FIND A TECHNICIAN AFTER KEYING THE ESCAPE PASSWORD:  
333 333 333**

"Woah... Adam, Mira, look at this!" He held out the manual and poked the passage. Both friends leaned in to take a look at what Kai was so excited about.

He could feel Adam grow tense. "333? _Three_ times?" He pinched his temple as he sank back into the chair. "Man. All these threes are giving me a headache."

"Of course they would," Kai snarked back.

Mira rubbed her chin. "What do you think it means by 'escape password'?" she asked.

"I dunno," said Kai with a shrug. "I don't need a password to just take my helmet off." But the tinkerer's curiosity was piqued at this point. This password was a technological unknown--- and Kai was willing to explore it. "Well, we'll never know until we try," he spoke with a smile.

"Yeah," agreed Adam. "Couldn't hurt. Plus, all those threes... maybe it's significant somehow!"

Kai rolled his eyes, though he now had his own doubts about Adam's craziness. Maybe he had a point about the number after all.

\---

The environment was a basic classroom. No windows, no doors--- just grey walls, three desks, and a large screen at the front of the room. Adam looked down at his desktop, where a keyboard sat--- just like on the chairs. He wiggled his fingers to make sure they were in sync. The scanatar's features were simple, but they got the likeness of himself and his two friends well enough.

"Well, we're all set," said Kai. He looked both Adam and Mira in the eye. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," said Adam.

"As I'll ever be," answered Mira.

Kai nodded. "We all agreed on the repeating threes, right?"

Mira sent him a thumbs up.

Adam smiled. "Let's do this, Kai."

The redhead got set to typing. The digits spelled out onto the screen's query: 333 333 333. _Enter_.

At once, the world around them began to grow dark. The environment faded before their eyes, along with the sensation of the chair--- the room--- even of each other. A faint beeping noise echoed in the distance--- somewhere beyond Adam's current understanding of time and space, which seemed to be slipping away with the rest of the world around him. Now all that was left was this blackness.

Maybe that dream had been correct. Maybe there was only one way out--- one solution to their problems. Only one _escape_. And maybe this was it.

Wherever it may lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yeah, this is getting a sequel. I didn't know that until halfway through the outline. I was aiming for a standalone. But nevertheless, there shall be a continuation.
> 
> Hence the cliffhanger. I'd be sorry, but the first chapter to the sequel is already complete and has been since mid-August. I'll have it up sometime in December--- I've got a short story I've been working on for two years that I would like to get finished by Thanksgiving this year. No more delays!
> 
> I may not have had the biggest audience for this story, but I've enjoyed my venture into this fandom. Thanks to all who read, left comments, left kudos. :) Let me know your thoughts.
> 
> The sequel will be a massive genre-switch, which is why it is a separate story. This story falls into a slice-of-life drama sort of thing with MINIMAL sci-fi. The sequel will be much heavier on the sci-fi because I adore sci-fi.
> 
> Hope to see you all come back for the next one. Wish me luck for developing the sequel! <3
> 
> -Cy


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